President Donald Trump has announced he is replacing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C.Q. Brown, and will soon swap out five other high-level positions in an unprecedented shake-up of the leadership of the U.S. military.
In a post on Truth Social, the president said he would nominate retired Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to succeed Brown.
The Pentagon is already bracing for immense upheaval, with the firings of some 5,400 civilian staff, a dramatic overhaul of its budget, and a likely shift in military deployments.
Trump continues to cause outrage on the international stage having called the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, a dictator, and then ducking a question as to whether he would also say the same of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Even the Trump-friendly New York Post reprimanded the president on its front page.
In Washington, Howard Lutnick was sworn in as Trump’s commerce secretary. Trump confirmed he was considering merging the independent US Postal Service with the department, despite an earlier denial by the White House.
Kash Patel was sworn in as FBI director, promising drastic changes, with some 1,500 FBI staff already ordered to relocate out of D.C.
Key Points
- Trump fires Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Trump dodges answering whether Putin is a dictator
- Angry crowd confronts Republican in deep-red Georgia over support for Trump’s agenda
- FBI to transfer 1,500 staffers out of Washington headquarters, report says
- Trump claims to have highest poll numbers of any Republican president ever
CPAC: Tolerance of Bannon’s salute and drama with J6ers expose rifts among Republican elite
04:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
John Bowden reports from the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, and finds that the glitz of Trumpworld can only paper over so much.
ICYMI: Pentagon to fire 5,400 civilian workers
03:45
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Oliver O'Connell
The Pentagon announced on Friday that it would cut 5,400 jobs as part of President Donald Trump's initiative to reduce the federal workforce, a day after some Republican lawmakers faced jeers from voters back home who are frustrated with this aggressive effort.
The cuts, set to take place next week, represent a small portion of the 50,000 Defense Department job losses that some had expected, but they may not be the last. One senior official, Darin Selnick, noted that the Pentagon plans to implement a hiring freeze and could ultimately shrink its civilian workforce, which currently stands at 950,000, by 5% to 8%.
These cuts are the latest in a rapidly evolving overhaul led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. This overhaul has resulted in the layoff of over 20,000 workers and the dismantling of programs across the U.S. government, from foreign aid to financial oversight.
With reporting from Reuters
Neo-Nazis rattled an Ohio town. Now masked, armed civilians are patrolling neighborhood streets
03:30
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Oliver O'Connell
Armed men in masks are reportedly patrolling the streets of Cincinnati’s Lincoln Heights neighborhood after a neo-Nazi group demonstrated in the area earlier this month.
The armed civilians are reportedly engaging in more than just a standard watch over their neighborhood, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. The masked men have stopped cars, turned drivers away from the neighborhood, and have allegedly threatened to shoot a property owner.
They’re reportedly protecting the area from neo-Nazi activists, but their tactics have rattled some residents.
Graig Graziosi has the story.
Watch: Republican reps are being booed and heckled by their constituents
03:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
On MSNBC, Rachel Maddow has been compiling incidents of citizens confronting Republican lawmakers over their concerns about what has unfolded in the first month of the Trump administration.
Congressman Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin faced a hostile crowd of voters at a town hall with constituents — mirroring that of his colleague in Georgia yesterday.
They do not appear impressed with the work of DOGE.
Watch below:
Constituent: When will you stand up to them and say that is enough?
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 22, 2025
Rep. Fitzgerald: The end result of the fraud and abuse that has been discovered
Crowd: Booo pic.twitter.com/MwgwqVzPV9
Here’s Rep. Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma also having a tough time concerning the VA:
Another Republican constituent not happy with their Republican Representative pic.twitter.com/36v1ayupq3
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 22, 2025
And here’s Rep. Glenn Grotham of Wisconsin getting booed for suggesting Donald Trump has done “some very good things”... and the crowd is not a fan of getting rid of birthright citizenship.
Rep. Grothman (R-WI): President Trump has done some very good things
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 22, 2025
Crowd: Booooo pic.twitter.com/qbbZ9C3Hpx
How much do Elon Musk's companies make from U.S. taxpayers?
03:00
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Oliver O'Connell
Io Dodds writes:
Elon Musk is on a crusade against government spending. Unless, apparently, it's going to him.
"If action is not taken to curb the deficit, America is in deep trouble. No different than a person who gets into too much debt," said the DOGE boss on his social network X in December.
"The corruption and waste is being rooted out in real-time," he added on February 2, as he took a sledgehammer to federal agencies and all but dismantled the U.S. Agency of International Development with no authorization from Congress.
Yet according to federal data analyzed by The Independent, Musk's own companies have been promised or awarded nearly $21 billion by the U.S. government since 2008.
The cash was still flowing as of Feb 17, with another $76.7 million promised since Donald Trump's inauguration.
So how much of money is the American taxpayer forking over to each of Musk's companies, and what is it all for?
Newly sworn-in FBI director Kash Patel to relocate up to 1,500 employees
02:40
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Oliver O'Connell
According to a person with knowledge of the discussions, new FBI Director Kash Patel has told senior officials that he plans to relocate up to 1,000 employees from Washington to field offices around the country and an additional 500 to a bureau facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
The plans were outlined on Friday, coinciding with Patel's swearing-in at the White House, and align with his repeated vision of minimizing the FBI’s presence in Washington while enhancing its offices in other cities.
Continue reading...
Rep Crow: Purging JAG officers for military 'worries me most'
02:30
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Oliver O'Connell
Rep Jason Crow of Colorado posted his concerns on X about why the purge of Judge Advocates General at the Department of Defense is also deeply troubling.
The congressman writes: “The purge of senior officers at DOD is deeply troubling, but purging JAG officers worries me the most.
“JAG officers interpret law for our commanders. They help determine what's lawful and constitutional.
“Replacing these military lawyers with trump loyalists is so dangerous.”
The purge of senior officers at DOD is deeply troubling, but purging JAG officers worries me the most.
— Rep. Jason Crow (@RepJasonCrow) February 22, 2025
JAG officers interpret law for our commanders. They help determine what's lawful and constitutional.
Replacing these military lawyers with trump loyalists is so dangerous. pic.twitter.com/MjgzoI9QhO
Judge pauses sweeping Trump orders rolling back diversity programs
02:15
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Oliver O'Connell
The Trump administration’s sweeping executive orders seeking to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government and private sector have temporarily been put on hold, after a federal judge in Maryland issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit from civic and educational groups challenging the policies.
Josh Marcus has the details.
Schiff: 'The purge of people of stature and independence goes on'
02:03
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Oliver O'Connell
Senator Adam Schiff reacts to the news of the firing of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Donald Trump just fired a well-respected General who was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) February 22, 2025
And his Administration announced they’re replacing other officers, too.
The purge of people of stature and independence goes on.
Full story: Supreme Court won’t let Trump immediately fire whistleblower chief as legal challenge plays out
02:00
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Oliver O'Connell
The Supreme Court won’t let Donald Trump remove an ethics watchdog until at least next week as the president and Elon Musk try to gut federal agencies and fire thousands of workers.
Friday’s split decision marked the first of what is expected to be many rulings from the nation’s high court involving the administration’s sledgehammer decision-making, which is facing an avalanche of lawsuits alleging an unconstitutional abuse of power.
Alex Woodward reports.
‘King of callousness’: CNN hammers Jesse Watters for flip-flopping on DOGE cuts
01:51
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Oliver O'Connell
Pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of Fox News star Jesse Watters asking for sympathy for those who’ve been impacted by DOGE cuts, CNN anchor Abby Phillip aired a mashup of Watters cheering on the mass federal layoffs that Elon Musk’s government efficiency agency has pushed through.
“DOGE for thee, but not for me?” Phillip snarked at one point.
Justin Baragona has the story.
New York City sues Trump for clawing back FEMA grant for migrants
01:39
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Oliver O'Connell
New York City sued the Trump administration on Friday for clawing back $80.5 million in grants meant to help cover part of the city's expenses for housing migrants.
In a complaint submitted to federal court in Manhattan, New York City disputed federal officials’ claims of fund misuse, stating that the February 11 “money grab” undermined Congress’ intent in allocating the money.
City officials decided to sue after funds that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had paid on February 4, part of the Department of Homeland Security, mysteriously disappeared from a bank account, having been clawed back by the agency.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on the social media platform X on February 12: “I have clawed back the full payment that FEMA deep state activists unilaterally gave to NYC migrant hotels.”
I have clawed back the full payment that FEMA deep state activists unilaterally gave to NYC migrant hotels.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) February 12, 2025
FEMA was funding the Roosevelt Hotel that serves as a Tren de Aragua base of operations and was used to house Laken Riley’s killer.
Mark my words: there will not be a…
New York City seeks the return of the $80.5 million and an injunction against similar future actions.
President Donald Trump has accused FEMA of misusing taxpayer money in Democratic-led areas.
Trump DOGE adviser Elon Musk claimed, without providing evidence, in a February 10 post on X that his government efficiency team found that $59 million of the $80.5 million was used to accommodate migrants in “luxury” hotels.
“Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President's executive order,” Musk declared.
The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 10, 2025
Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order.
That money is meant for American disaster relief…
Noem and a FEMA official also contended that the city misapplied FEMA funds to convert the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan into a migrant shelter, allowing the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to use the hotel as a base of operations.
The city asserted that Musk's post was “filled with inaccuracies,” while claims by Noem and the FEMA official that migrants housed at the Roosevelt engaged in criminal activities were “unsupported.”
In a statement announcing the lawsuit, New York City's Democratic Mayor Eric Adams remarked, “Our immigration system is broken,” but emphasized that the costs of fixing it should not burden the city alone.
“The $80 million that FEMA approved, paid, and then rescinded - after the city spent more than $7 billion in the last three years - is the bare minimum our taxpayers deserve,” Adams said.
With reporting by Reuters
Some tourists cancelling their vacations in Trump’s America
01:30
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Oliver O'Connell
McKenzie McMillan, a travel consultant with the Vancouver-based Travel Group, said some of his clients have cancelled trips that were already booked.
February is usually a busy month for the retail travel agency which specializes in both corporate and premium leisure travel as Canadians make plans for spring break vacations.
“We’ve seen a complete drop off in any new requests or new interest in U.S. travel,” said McMillan. “I’ve had no requests for travel to the United States for about two weeks.”
Continue reading...
DOJ files complaint against judge weighing challenge to Trump’s transgender troop ban
01:10
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Oliver O'Connell
The Justice Department has filed a complaint accusing a federal judge in Washington of misconduct during hearings regarding Trump’s executive order that calls for banning transgender troops from serving in the U.S. military.
The complaint accuses U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes of inappropriately questioning a government lawyer about his religious beliefs and attempting to “embarrass” the attorney with a rhetorical exercise during an exchange about discrimination.
During this rhetorical exercise, Reyes stated that she changed the rules in her courtroom to prevent graduates of the University of Virginia law school from appearing before her because she believed they were all “liars and lack integrity.
She directed the government attorney, a graduate of that school, to sit down.
In another exchange referenced in the complaint, the judge asked the attorney what “Jesus would say to telling a group of people that they are so worthless, so worthless that we’re — we’re not going to allow them into homeless shelters?”
The complaint calls for an investigation and asserts that “appropriate action” should be taken to ensure that future hearings are conducted with the “dignity and impartiality the public has a right to expect.”
Here’s Alex Woodward’s report on the hearing:
BREAKING: Trump fires Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
00:57
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Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump fired former US Air Force general Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday evening.
The president put out a statement on his social media platform saying he was replacing the 40-year veteran with Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine.
Trump wrote: “General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a ‘warfighter’ with significant interagency and special operations experience.
Phil Thomas reports.
Even neo-Nazis say it’s getting a ‘little excessive’ following Steve Bannon’s CPAC salute
00:40
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Oliver O'Connell
After Steve Bannon was accused of wrapping up his CPAC speech with a Nazi salute, prompting one far-right French politician to cancel his appearance at the conservative confab, prominent white nationalists said that the gesture has gotten “a little excessive” even for them.
No, really.
Justin Baragona has the story.
Rep Swalwell breaks down why federal funding cuts make Americans less safe
00:32
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Oliver O'Connell
California Democratic Rep Eric Swalwell, a member of the House Homeland Security and Judiciary committees broke down to CNN how federal funding cuts make Americans less safe.
Swalwell gave a list of examples to CNN:
- When you get rid of the bird flu monitors who protect the chickens against bird flu, and then keep the cost of eggs down, that does not make us economically safe.
- When you get rid of people at the FAA as planes are crashing in America, that makes us less safe.
- When you get rid of FBI agents who are supposed to watch out for terrorism, that makes us less safe.
- When you get rid of people at the CDC who are supposed to protect us from a measles outbreak in Texas, that makes us less safe.
- So in California, when you get rid of firefighters at the forest service, as we have unseasonable winds and the fires that have ravaged across Southern California and Northern California, that makes us less safe
Watch the clip below:
Swalwell: When you get rid of the bird flu monitors who protect the chickens against bird flu, and then keep the cost of eggs down, that does not make us economically safe.
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 22, 2025
When you get rid of people at the FAA as planes are crashing in America, that makes us less safe.
When… pic.twitter.com/lA0TD4raWD
Trump signs memo imposing retaliatory tariffs for digital taxes
00:00
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Oliver O'Connell
A White House official said President Donald Trump has signed a memorandum to impose tariffs on countries that levy digital service taxes on U.S. tech companies.
Details of the order were earlier provided to Reuters by an official, saying Trump was directing his administration to consider responsive actions like tariffs “to combat the digital service taxes (DSTs), fines, practices, and policies that foreign governments levy on American companies.”
“President Trump will not allow foreign governments to appropriate America's tax base for their own benefit,” the official said.
The memo directs the U.S. Trade Representative's office to renew investigations into digital service taxes initiated during Trump's first term and investigate any additional countries that use a digital tax “to discriminate against U.S. companies,” the official said.
When asked at the White House if he would sign a tariff order on digital taxes, Trump told reporters: “We are going to be doing that, digital. What they're doing to us in other countries is terrible with digital, so we're going to be announcing that, maybe today.”
Trump announced last week that he would impose tariffs on Canada and France for their digital services taxe which the administration complains raised $500 million from U.S. companies. At the time, a White House fact sheet said that “only America should be allowed to tax American firms.”
“Overall, these non-reciprocal taxes cost America's firms over $2 billion per year. Reciprocal tariffs will bring back fairness and prosperity to the distorted international trade system and stop Americans from being taken advantage of,” said the fact sheet, giving no further details.
The U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, India, Austria, and Canada have imposed taxes on revenues earned from digital services sold within their borders.
With reporting from Reuters
Watch: Trump administration's $200m ad campaign directed at migrants
Friday 21 February 2025 23:45
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Oliver O'Connell
...which is bizarrely airing on Fox News?
Trump’s $200 million ad campaign supposedly directed at migrants is airing on…Fox News? pic.twitter.com/t6hen1h8mY
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 21, 2025
Judge extends block on Musk's DOGE from Treasury systems
Friday 21 February 2025 23:42
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Reuters
A U.S. judge on Friday extended a block on Elon Musk's government cost-cutting team known as DOGE from accessing Treasury Department systems responsible for trillions of dollars in payments.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan granted a request from 19 Democratic state attorneys general for a preliminary injunction on DOGE's access to the systems, pending the outcome of their lawsuit.
The states cited a risk that sensitive information could be improperly disclosed and said DOGE had no legal authority to access the systems.
Elon Musk under fire for apparently ignoring pleas from Grimes to help his sick child
Friday 21 February 2025 23:32
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Oliver O'Connell
As Elon Musk strutted around the CPAC stage on Thursday in a pair of garish sunglasses, waving a chainsaw and cracking cringe-worthy jokes, the mother of his children was publicly pleading with him to stop ignoring her requests for help with their kid’s health emergency.
Grimes, a Canadian singer who shares three children with Musk, directed a series of messages to the world’s wealthiest man on X, the website he owns, urging him to respond to her requests for help.
Richard Hall has the story.
BREAKING: Supreme Court won't let Trump immediately fire agency head
Friday 21 February 2025 23:28
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Oliver O'Connell
The Supreme Court has declined to let Donald Trump immediately fire the head of a federal watchdog agency after a judge's order had temporarily blocked him from ousting the official.
The court ruled in abeyance — or postponed action, for now — on the Justice Department's request to lift a judge's February 12 order temporarily blocking Trump's removal of Hampton Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel while litigation continues in the dispute.
The independent agency protects government whistleblowers.
Supreme Court justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch would have let the president fire him. Justices Kentaji Brown Jackson and Sonya Sotomayor would not.
The lower court’s temporary restraining order expires on Wednesday, February 26.
Here’s more information on the case from Alex Woodward:
Watch: CSPAN caller says price of his insulin has skyrocketed since Trump took office
Friday 21 February 2025 23:20
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Oliver O'Connell
CSPAN Caller from West Virginia: I’m a diabetic and I’m on Medicare. When Biden was in there, my insulin was $6 for a 28 day supply. I just went to CVS, it went back up to $80… pic.twitter.com/qDW0OkELis
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 21, 2025
New York City sues Trump for taking back $80.5 million FEMA grant over handling of migrants
Friday 21 February 2025 23:15
,
Reuters
New York City sued the Trump administration on Friday after the Federal Emergency Management Agency revoked $80.5 million of grants because of the city's handling of migrants.
The complaint over the February 11 clawback was filed in Manhattan federal court.
Trump hiring freeze could mean extinction for this owl
Friday 21 February 2025 23:10
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Oliver O'Connell
Yes, this owl.
Julia Musto explains.
Poland's Duda to meet Trump in Washington
Friday 21 February 2025 22:59
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Reuters
Poland's president will meet Donald Trump in Washington on Saturday, state news agency PAP reported, after he urged Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy to maintain calm and constructive cooperation with the U.S. leader.
Polish President Andrzej Duda's visit comes amid a widening rift between Trump and Zelenskiy that has alarmed Kyiv's European allies.
"I suggested to President Zelenskiy to remain committed to the course of calm and constructive cooperation with Donald Trump," Duda wrote on the X social media platform.
"I have no doubt that President Trump is guided by a deep sense of responsibility for global stability and peace," he added.
A few minutes ago, President @ZelenskyyUA called me. We had a candid conversation on the heels of the recent meetings with General Kellogg and other developments. I conveyed to him that we consistently believe there is no other way to stop the bloodshed and achieve lasting peace…
— Andrzej Duda (@AndrzejDuda) February 21, 2025
Duda, whose term in office expires in 2025, was one of Trump's preferred international partners during his 2017-2021 presidency and they have described themselves as friends.
Hundreds in DOGE purge had jobs not paid by taxpayers
Friday 21 February 2025 22:50
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Oliver O'Connell
Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has fired hundreds of federal workers who are not funded by the taxpayer — lowering savings for the American people that Trump’s administration promised, according to a report.
Rhian Lubin explains why that is.
Trump not visiting Moscow
Friday 21 February 2025 22:45
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Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump dismissed reports that he might visit Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, saying: “No, no, I’m not.”
Trump made the comment as he spoke to reporters while swearing in new Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
French publication Le Point reported that the two leaders would meet in the Russian capital on May 9 to commemorate the end of the Second World War in Europe.
FBI to transfer 1,500 staffers out of Washington headquarters, report says
Friday 21 February 2025 22:35
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Oliver O'Connell
Reuters reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigation ordered the transfer of 1,500 staffers out of its Washington headquarters on Friday. The agency cited two sources familiar with the orders.
The sources said some 1,000 staffers would be dispersed to field offices around the country, and another 500 were ordered to transfer to Huntsville, Alabama. They added that the news was conveyed to employees at a Friday meeting.
The bureau had 9,414 employees in Washington as of June 2024, with 37,478 nationwide, according to figures kept by the federal government.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who was sworn in this afternoon at the White House said after the ceremony: “I promise you the following: there will be accountability within the FBI and outside of the FBI, and we will do it through rigorous constitutional oversight starting this weekend.”
The FBI has an office in Huntsville, Alabama at Redstone Arsenal, a U.S. Army post that also houses Department of Defense and NASA offices.
ANALYSIS: CPAC sends a warning message to Ukraine — It’s not Reagan’s party anymore
Friday 21 February 2025 22:30
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Oliver O'Connell
Read Eric Garcia’s latest dispatch from the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
Pentagon says it will start firing 5,400 probationary civilian employees next week
Friday 21 February 2025 22:17
,
Reuters
The Pentagon said on Friday it would start firing about 5,400 civilian employees who were on probation, the first moves by President Donald Trump's administration at the department to make good on its promise to reduce the federal workforce.
"We expect approximately 5,400 probationary workers will be released beginning next week as part of this initial effort, after which we will implement a hiring freeze while we conduct a further analysis of our personnel needs, complying as always with all applicable laws," said Darin Selnick, who is performing the duties of under Secretary of Defense for personnel and readiness.
Watch: Kash Patel sworn in as FBI director
Friday 21 February 2025 22:15
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Oliver O'Connell
