Trump administration live updates: Thousands of federal employees fired; CDC slashes 10% of its workforce

In an incredible mic-drop moment, Hagan Scotten, a (now former) Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, criticized the Justice Department for doing Donald Trump’s bidding in axing attorneys who refused to drop criminal charges against Eric Adams.

In a letter addressed to Emil Bove, the Justice Department’s second-in-command, Scotten asserted that any lawyer understands that it is illegal to wield prosecutorial power to influence citizens or elected officials.

“If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me,” Scotten wrote in his resignation letter.

Scotten was the lead attorney on Eric Adams’s criminal case. Attorney General Pam Bondi made it clear to Danielle Sassoon, the former acting US Attorney in SDNY, that she and anyone else who pursued Adams’s case and then refused to drop the charges would be investigated.

It’s worth noting that Scotten, a veteran of the Iraq War, was a clerk for Trump-appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts.

Here’s what you need to know about the wave of resignations the Adams case has caused:

A group of 14 states sued DOGE, ”agent of chaos” Elon Musk and President Donald Trump on Thursday, arguing that the authority the White House granted the tech billionaire and his Department of Government Efficiency is unconstitutional.

Donald Trump envoy Richard Grenell says he may run for California governor if Kamala Harris becomes the Democratic candidate.

Grenell, who is currently working on special projects for Trump, indicated interest in the 2026 race to succeed Democrat Gavin Newsom should the former vice president enter the race.

“If Kamala Harris runs for governor, I believe that she has such baggage … that it’s a new day in California, and that the Republican actually has a shot,” Grenell told reporters. “And I wouldn’t say no.”

Grenell spoke following his participation in Vice President JD Vance’s meetings with world leaders in Munich.

Harris has not publicly shown interest in the governor’s race, but she would likely be a strong favorite to win the Democratic nomination.

With reporting from the AP

The staggering amount shows how much financial power the Trump name brings. The $80 million comes from various areas including donations and lawsuit settlements. The money will add to the Trump family’s fortune and help cover costs such as his presidential library.

Gustaf Kilander takes a look at the figures.

A decade after Russia was expelled from the Group of Eight for invading and illegally annexing Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, President Donald Trump says he wants to reverse the decision and permit Russia to rejoin the group of the world’s major industrialized democracies, while also slashing America’s defense budget by 50 percent.

Andrew Feinberg filed this report from the White House.

Two Ukrainian sources told Reuters on Friday that Ukraine has handed the U.S. its proposals for a bilateral minerals deal, as Kyiv tries to win the backing of President Donald Trump in his bid to end Russia’s war on the country.

The two sources from the Ukrainian delegation said the U.S. side requested that the proposals be examined until 5 p.m. local time, as President Volodymyr Zelensky meets Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference.

Kyiv has said it is ready for an agreement to open up its vast resources of key minerals, to U.S. investment as it seeks to obtain security guarantees as part of any deal to end the war with Russia.

When asked if a minerals deal would be agreed upon between Washington and Kyiv on Friday, Vance said in Munich: “Let’s see.”

The minerals in question would include the rare earth variety, titanium, uranium, and lithium among others.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traveled to Kyiv on Wednesday, where the United States presented Ukraine with a draft accord.

Zelensky said Kyiv would study it with a view to reaching an agreement in Munich.

With reporting by Reuters

Narendra Modi ducked a question about billionaire Gautam Adani’s fraud indictment in the US during a joint press conference with Donald Trump on Thursday, a rare example of the Indian prime minister facing scrutiny from the media.

The interaction with US and Indian journalists marked a rare unscripted moment for the Indian leader, who has largely avoided interactions with the media throughout his 11 years in power.

Nearly 1,300 probationary employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—approximately one-tenth of the agency’s workforce—are being let go as part of the Trump administration’s effort to eliminate all probationary positions.

The Atlanta-based agency’s leadership was informed of the decision on Friday morning. The verbal notification came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during a meeting with CDC leaders, according to a federal official present at the meeting. The official, not authorized to discuss the matter, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The affected employees are set to receive four weeks of paid administrative leave, the official stated, noting that it remains unclear when individual workers will be notified.

The CDC, with a core budget of $9.2 billion, is responsible for protecting Americans from outbreaks and various public health threats. Prior to the cuts, the agency had about 13,000 employees, including over 2,000 staff members working in other countries.

India has slashed tariffs on bourbon whisky to 100% from 150%, a move that will benefit imports of brands like Suntory’s Jim Beam, after U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticised “unfair” levies in the South Asian market.

Trump, who met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House this week, has railed against the climate for American businesses in India and unveiled a roadmap for reciprocal tariffs on countries that put duties on U.S. imports.

The tariff notification by the Indian government was dated February 13 but gathered media attention only on Friday. It said the basic customs duty on bourbon will be 50%, with an additional levy of 50%, bringing the total to 100%.

Previously, such imports were taxed at 150%.

There will be no change on imports of other liquor products, which are also taxed at 150%.