Donald Trump and his Elon Musk are preparing to accelerate their purge of America’s federal bureaucracy, with the Department of Government Efficiency set make more staff cuts to the executive branches.
Over the past few days, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it had let go of more than 1,000 employees in their probationary period, while the U.S. Forest Service is set to terminate more than 3,000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been instructed to fire 1,300 staffers.
Elsewhere, more than 300 staffers at the National Nuclear Security Administration were reportedly fired Thursday night, with officials seemingly unaware that the agency oversees the U.S. nuclear stockpile.
Documents obtained by the Washington Post claim that DOGE also aims to target staffers who are not in DEI roles and employees who work in offices established by law to ensure equal rights.
The agency reportedly plans to cut staff from dozens of offices, including some that protect employees’ civil rights and others that investigate complaints of employment discrimination.
Dozens of government employees who do not work in DEI roles but who perform functions that DOGE has determined were related to DEI, will be placed on leave, and ultimately fired, the Post reported,
Key points
Staff overseeing U.S. nuclear stockpile fired unknowingly, reports
U.S. citizen one of three hostages released by Hamas
Vance says Germany should work with the far right AfD
DOGE being at the IRS delay your tax refund, Democrat says
U.S. citizen one of three hostages released by Hamas
16:30 , Mike Bedigan
(@realDonaldTrump/ Truth Social)
Staff overseeing U.S. nuclear stockpile fired unknowingly, reports
16:00 , Mike Bedigan
More than 300 staffers at the National Nuclear Security Administration were reportedly fired Thursday night, with Trump officials seemingly unaware that the agency oversees the U.S. nuclear stockpile.
The layoffs were part of broader Energy Department layoffs, CNN reported, citing four sources. The sources told the outlet the officials did not seem to know this agency oversees America’s nuclear weapons.
An Energy Department spokesperson disputed the number of personnel affected, telling CNN that “less than 50 people” were “dismissed” from NNSA, and that the dismissed staffers “held primarily administrative and clerical roles.”
The agency began rescinding the terminations Friday morning.
“No one has taken anytime to understand what we do and the importance of our work to the nation’s national security,” a source told CNN.
Ukraine has not signed deal on its minerals, despite Trump’s claims
15:30 , Mike Bedigan
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has not yet signed a draft agreement to hand over half of his country’s rare earth minerals to U.S. companies in exchange for military support, contrary to Donald Trump’s claims.
“The deal was not signed yet. Sides are discussing the details,” a Ukrainian official familiar with the negotiations told Politico.
“Lawyers are working on it. In their draft, the U.S. has described a very complicated way how they want to get 50 percent [of Ukraine’s rare earths].”
On Tuesday, Trump said Ukraine had “essentially agreed” to a deal over its earth minerals.
“I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earths, and they’ve essentially agreed to do that,” he said.
Feature: Fearing Trump’s deportations will break up her family, one woman is sending herself back to Mexico
15:00 , Mike Bedigan
Quebec Vasquez came to America when she was a kid. She built a life here and had a family.
Now, in response to the climate of fear caused by Donald Trump’s mass deportations, she has decided to return to the country of her birth, Richard Hall writes…
Fearful of Trump’s crackdown, one woman is deporting herself
UK PM on collision course with Trump over VAT and future of Ukraine
14:30 , Oliver O’Connell
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is on a collision course with Donald Trump over the future of Ukraine and the president’s latest threat to impose tariffs on the UK, as the two leaders face their first major test since the Republican took office.
The US president announced on Thursday that he would impose “reciprocal tariffs” on all other countries, charging the same amount as levies imposed on American exports – claiming such a move was “fair to all”.
The policy published by the White House included VAT as a target – which analysts have suggested could knock around £24bn off UK GDP over the next two years.
Millie Cooke reports from London.
Starmer on collision course with Trump over VAT and future of Ukraine
Two-thirds of Americans still believe climate change is impacting the Earth, despite what Trump contends
14:00 , Oliver O’Connell
As the Trump administration works to dismantle and erase any mention of climate change on a federal level, a new report has found that the majority of Americans believe the Earth’s warming is affecting weather across the country.
Two-thirds of those recently surveyed by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication said they think global warming is impacting U.S. weather. Those who believe global warming is happening outnumber those who believe it is not by a ratio of more than five to one, the survey also found.
Julia Musto reports.
Two-thirds of Americans think global warming is affecting weather in the U.S.
Watch: Trump confirms call with UK PM
13:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump confirms call with Keir Starmer to plan ‘friendly meeting next week’
DOJ leader Emil Bove pushed other lawyers to drop Eric Adams case. Why didn’t he just do it himself?
12:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Federal prosecutors faced an ultimatum on Friday, agree to dismiss the charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s criminal case – or else.
Emil Bove III, the No. 2 in the Justice Department and President Donald Trump’s former criminal defense attorney, issued the directive after being stonewalled a day earlier on the same request. He had pushed for dropping the bribery case, but Manhattan federal prosecutors resigned instead of signing it themselves. That led to the Friday showdown.
What is unclear is why Bove, a lawyer, didn’t just sign them himself.
While it is uncommon for the acting deputy attorney general to do so, nothing prevents him from taking action.
Ariana Baio has the story.
Why didn’t DOJ Leader Emil Bove drop Eric Adams case himself?
Judge orders Trump administration to temporarily lift funding freeze on US foreign aid
11:30 , Oliver O’Connell
A judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift the funding freeze that shut down U.S. aid and development programs abroad.
In another setback for President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, Judge Amir Ali issued the order Thursday in a lawsuit brought by companies that receive U.S. funding for the programs.
Trump froze almost all foreign aid in late January, a decision that has devastated foreign aid contractors and recipients.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Judge orders Trump administration to lift funding freeze on US foreign aid
Vance says Germany should work with the far right AfD
10:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Vice president JD Vance has said he will implore Berlin to work with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to curb migration, despite an unofficial ban on collaborating with the group.
Mr Vance is speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday against the backdrop of president Donald Trump blindsiding Europe and Kyiv by organising a one-to-one with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Tom Watling reports.
JD Vance says Germany should work with far right and not ignore ‘will of the people’
After call with Putin, Trump says Russia should rejoin G7
09:30 , Oliver O’Connell
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 has the story.
Trump wants to halve US defense spending and let Russia back into G7 after Putin call
Will DOGE being at the IRS delay your tax refund?
08:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden said that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has moved on to examining the Internal Revenue Service, fuelling fears over access and the potential handling of highly sensitive data.
“My office is hearing that DOGE is now at the IRS. That means Musk’s henchmen are in a position to dig through a trove of data about every taxpayer in America,” the Democrat tweeted Thursday. “And if your refund is delayed, they could very well be the reason.”
James Liddell reports.
DOGE at the IRS could delay your tax refund, Democrat senator says
Beef tallow — why RFK Jr wants America to use it
07:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Robert F. Kennedy Jr stirred controversy last Thanksgiving with a social media video showcasing his preferred cooking method: deep-frying a turkey in beef tallow.
“This is how we cook the MAHA way,” Kennedy declared in the video, referencing his “Make America Healthy Again” slogan.
Kennedy, recently confirmed as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has consistently promoted beef tallow, rendered beef fat, as a healthier alternative to canola and other seed oils.
This stance has resonated with some social media influencers, but beef tallow’s nutritional values remain contested.
Read on…
Why RFK Jr wants America to use beef tallow
Another judge steps in to serve as a roadblock to Trump
06:30 , Oliver O’Connell
A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order restricting health care for transgender youth in the latest example of the judiciary halting the president’s actions.
Trump’s order signed last month refers to gender-affirming care as “mutilation” and would have restricted this care for those under 19 years old.
Kelly Rissman reports.
Another judge serves as a roadblock to Trump – this time with his transgender order
ANALYSIS: Why we should be worried about Elon Musk’s siege of the US government
04:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Lee Morgenbesser writes:
Many Americans have watched in horror as Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has been permitted to tear through various offices of the United States government in recent weeks. Backed by President Donald Trump, and supported by a small team of true believers, he has successfully laid siege to America’s vast federal bureaucracy.
On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order giving Musk even more power. It requires federal agencies to cooperate with his “Department of Government Efficiency” (known as DOGE) in cutting their staffing levels and restricting new hires.
In his first comments to the media since joining the Trump administration as a “special” government employee, Musk also responded to criticism that he’s launching a “hostile takeover” of the US government.
Read on…
Elon Musk denies a ‘hostile takeover’ of Government. But how does state capture work?
Trump’s infamous mugshot now hangs just outside of the Oval Office
03:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump appears to have hung his own mugshot along a hallway just outside of the Oval Office.
The infamous booking photo, which appears to be a New York Post front page, was spotted hanging proudly in an ornate gold frame as the president welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House.
James Liddel reports.
Donald Trump’s infamous mugshot now hangs just outside of the Oval Office
Yosemite on the verge of a ‘catastrophic’ staffing shortage thanks to Trump’s hiring freeze
03:05 , Rhian Lubin
Yosemite National Park is facing a “catastrophic” staffing shortage because of the Trump administration’s hiring freeze and attempt to slash federal spending.
In recent weeks the White House has rescinded hundreds of job offers and layoffs are incoming as the park is set to enter its busiest season, according to reports. It comes as Yosemite Superintendent Cicely Muldoon is on the brink of retirement.
Current and former National Park Service staffers, nonprofit leaders and other experts told SFGATE that the park’s efforts, decades in the making, to protect its ecosystems are going awry.
Yosemite National Park is on the verge of a ‘catastrophic’ staffing shortage
Just days after prisoner exchange, Russia detains another US citizen on drugs charges
02:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Russia has detained another U.S. citizen, after customs officials found cannabis-laced marmalade in his luggage, Russian media said Friday, days after a Moscow-Washington prisoner swap that the White House called a diplomatic thaw and a step toward ending the fighting in Ukraine.
Russian police said the 28-year-old American had attempted to smuggle a “significant amount” of drugs into the country, the Interfax agency reported, citing Russia’s Federal Customs Service. The agency said the American was detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after flying in from Istanbul last Friday.
Read on…
Russia detains another US citizen on drugs charges days after swap, reports say