The U.S. government has begun firing thousands of people at multiple agencies as Donald Trump and Elon Musk accelerated their purge of America’s federal bureaucracy.
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.
Termination emails have reportedly been sent to workers across the government at agencies such as the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the General Services Administration.
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Munich Security Conference on Friday to discuss how to bring Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine to a close. Vance told reporters: “We want the killing to stop, but we want to achieve a durable, lasting peace.”
President Trump signed two more executive orders in the Oval Office on Friday lunchtime. One halting federal funding for schools that mandate vaccination against Covid-19, and another establishing the Energy Dominance Council led by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Key points
- Donald Trump and Elon Musk overseeing thousands of federal layoffs
- Justice Department asks court to drop corruption charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams
- CDC to lose 10% of staff under Trump's DOGE job cuts
- Trump signs executive order to pull funding from schools with Covid-19 vaccine mandates
- AP reporter pulled from Trump's travel pool over 'Gulf of America' dispute
- Vance and Zelensky meet in Munich: 'We need a plan for how to stop Putin'
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...
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.
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.
Watch: Trump confirms call with UK PM
13:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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...
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.
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.
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...
UK PM on collision course with Trump over VAT and future of Ukraine
02:00
,
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.
Trump takes aim at cars with next round of tariffs
01:30
,
Reuters
President Donald Trump on Friday kept alive his drumbeat of tariff threats, saying levies on automobiles would be coming as soon as April 2, the day after members of his cabinet are due to deliver reports to him outlining options for a range of import duties as he seeks to reshape global trade.
"Maybe around April 2," Trump said in response to a question about when auto tariffs might be coming during an executive order signing session in the Oval Office. "I would have done them on April 1 ... But we're going to do it on April 2."
It was the latest in a litany of trade actions Trump has unveiled after taking office for the second time on January 20.
Since his inauguration, he has imposed a 10% tariff on all imports from China, on top of existing levies; announced and then delayed for a month 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and nonenergy imports from Canada; set a March 12 start date for 25% tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum; and on Thursday directed his economics team to devise plans for reciprocal tariffs on every country that taxes U.S. imports.
Watch: Trump defends Vance speech
01:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
AOC says Trump’s border czar should ‘learn to read’
00:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fired back at President Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan after he suggested she would be in “trouble” for hosting a webinar explaining migrants’ rights in the U.S.
Ocasio-Cortez shared a clip of Homan’s remarks on Blue Sky Thursday, with a caption mocking his words.
Katie Hawkinson has the story.
Watch: Trump confirms call with Starmer
00:10
,
Oliver O'Connell
NEW: Justice Department asks court to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams
Friday 14 February 2025 23:51
,
Rhian Lubin
The Justice Department formally asked a court Friday to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The move, which comes after Adams was accused of cosying up to President Donald Trump, which he denies, was expected but fiercely opposed by the federal prosecutors in Manhattan who brought the case.
Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove and lawyers from the department's public integrity section and criminal division in Washington filed paperwork seeking to end the case.
Read more below.
Victoria Canal will perform as scheduled at Kennedy Center after others canceled appearances
Friday 14 February 2025 23:50
,
AP
Singer-songwriter Victoria Canal has decided to perform as scheduled at the Kennedy Center on Saturday, but she will donate all of her proceeds to Trans Equality Now.
Since Trump fired the board of directors and was elected board chair of the center, numerous officials and performers have quit or canceled appearances, including the actor Issa Rae.
In a statement issued Friday through her manager, Canal noted that she had been recognized at the Kennedy Center during the Obama administration as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, a “memory I still cherish.”
“After learning about the changes in leadership at the Kennedy Center, including Trump becoming self-appointed Chairman, I was debating whether or not to perform,” she said.
“I am a proud queer, Latina, disabled woman and ally to the unprotected and vulnerable trans community in the United States,” she added. “I figured if the new guys want to eliminate DEI, I’ll let them decide to cancel the show if they want to — otherwise, see you February 15th.”
EDITORIAL: The unlikely Trump-Starmer partnership must flourish. Britain – and the rest of Europe – is depending on it
Friday 14 February 2025 23:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
The prime minister has broken ranks with US over Ukraine and Nato, as the US president set his sights on VAT – and JD Vance singled out the UK in a bizarre attack on Europe for its attitudes to migration and free speech. Early signs of a fragile, unusual alliance were good – but not any more.
Read on...
Two-thirds of Americans still believe climate change is impacting the Earth, despite what Trump contends
Friday 14 February 2025 23:10
,
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 has the details.
Judge pauses Trump's effort to dismantle CFPB
Friday 14 February 2025 23:05
,
Oliver O'Connell
A federal judge has temporarily paused President Donald Trump’s effort to dismantle the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB), ordering it not to “delete, destroy, remove, or impair any data” or other CFPB records, or fire any employees.
A hearing on a longer-lasting preliminary injunction is scheduled for March 4.
Read the full court order here
And here’s why the CFPB is so important to the American public:
DOJ leader Emil Bove pushed other lawyers to drop Eric Adams case. Why didn’t he just do it himself?
Friday 14 February 2025 22:55
,
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.
Trump administration terminates 388 EPA staff
Friday 14 February 2025 22:45
,
Reuters
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday said it has terminated 388 employees hired over the last two years to align its workforce with President Donald Trump's "energy dominance" policy agenda.
The agency said it did a "thorough review" of its probationary staff, which are employees who have worked in their roles for less than two years.
“EPA has terminated 388 probationary employees after a thorough review of agency functions in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders," EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou said in a statement.
Trump and Musk to make joint appearance with Hannity
Friday 14 February 2025 22:40
,
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are set to make a joint appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show on Tuesday evening, the network has announced.
It’s the first televised sit-down together for the president and the billionaire “first buddy” and comes as Musk leads Trump’s effort to slash the size and scope of the government, with efforts to freeze spending and fire federal workers proceeding in earnest.
We’ll be covering it live on Tuesday…
Joe Rogan is still complaining about Kamala Harris not going on his podcast
Friday 14 February 2025 22:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Podcaster Joe Rogan is still complaining about former Vice President Kamala Harris not appearing on his show during the 2024 campaign months later.
“They just got scared. They could have put her in. I would have held her hand. We would have had a conversation. Not that I need to hold, you know, the vice president’s hand,” Rogan said on his podcast this week, four months after the scrapped interview.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
New VA secretary plans 1,000-plus layoffs, promises no harm to veteran care or benefits
Friday 14 February 2025 22:10
,
AP
Top Republicans say they trust Doug Collins. Democrats have no such faith that cutting $98 million through dismissals won’t harm veterans.
“I take Secretary Collins at his word when he says there will be no impact to the delivery of care, benefits, and services for veterans with this plan,” said Rep. Mike Bost, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
The ranking Democrat, Rep. Mark Takano, said the firings show a shocking disregard. The terminated include disabled veterans, military spouses and medical researchers.
America under Trump is not coming to help, senators warn Europe
Friday 14 February 2025 22:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Eric Garcia writes:
After confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary and Brooke Rollins as agriculture secretary, many senators high-tailed it to Germany for the Munich Security Conference.
Historically, the Munich Security Conference is a highly anticipated event for senators, who are attending this year as part of the bipartisan “CODEL McCain” delegation, named after the late Senator John McCain, under the leadership of U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
McCain looms large over the Munich conference. In 2017, when Donald Trump first took office, McCain spoke about international cooperation at the conference, as if to push back on Trump’s brand of America First isolationism.
Continue reading...
Watch: Trump asked why he blames for Russia's war on Ukraine
Friday 14 February 2025 21:42
,
Oliver O'Connell
Reporter: Who do you blame for the war? Ukraine or Russia?
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 14, 2025
Trump: There are a lot of people to blame. pic.twitter.com/IGRJ8ieZJ6
Trump praises Vance's speech in Munich
Friday 14 February 2025 21:34
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Trump reacts to Vice President Vance's speech in Europe: "They're losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech. I see it. I thought he made a very good speech actually. A very brilliant speech. Europe has to be careful." pic.twitter.com/EHjm0oQjoT
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 14, 2025
During the executive order signing event in the Oval Office, a reporter asked Donald Trump about JD Vance’s speech about migration and freedom of speech ruffling feathers in Europe.
The president said it was a “very good speech, actually very brilliant.”
“In Europe … they're losing their wonderful right of freedom of speech,” he added.
Here’s more on the vice president’s speech:
