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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS
Trump yesterday signed an executive order empowering DOGE to oversee the federal government hiring process and directing agency officials to prepare “large scale” cuts to the federal workforce (including that “each agency hire no more than one employee for every four employees that depart,” with caveats for national security and public safety). Theodore Schleifer and Madeleine Ngo report for the New York Times.
Trump on Monday ordered a pause in the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a law aimed at curbing corruption in multinational companies, claiming it has been “abused” and impeded foreign policy objectives. Isabella Kwai reports for the New York Times.
Trump yesterday fired the Federal Labor Relations Authority Chair, Susan Tsui Grundmann, a White House official said. The firing appears to violate federal laws that protect the agency’s board from removal, reports Lauren Kaori Gurley for the Washington Post.
A 25-year-old DOGE staffer was “mistakenly” and “briefly” given permissions to control the Treasury payments system, court records released yesterday show. According to affidavits by Treasury Department officials, the staffer did not modify the databases before the permissions were corrected. Michael Stratford and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.
The FBI has gathered a list of 3,600 probationary employees as part of the Trump administration’s drive to size down the federal workforce, potentially paving the way for dismissals, sources say. Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times.
Two top Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have been demoted amid growing frustration with the pace of immigration crackdown efforts among Trump officials, sources say. Nick Miroff reports for the Washington Post.
The Office of Personnel Management has submitted draft regulations that would make it easier for federal agencies to fire officials who push back against “the elected President’s agenda,” according to documents obtained by POLITICO yesterday. Nick Niedzwiadek and Alfred Ng report.
Elon Musk’s financial disclosure reports will not be publicly released, a White House official said yesterday. The source also indicated Musk received an ethics training this week. Theodore Schleifer and Eric Lipton report for the New York Times.
The White House yesterday barred the Associated Press from covering an Oval Office event over the organization’s decision to not use the “Gulf of America” name in its coverage, AP Executive Editor Julie Pace said.
Trump yesterday named several nominees to financial regulatory posts and named the members of his intelligence advisory board. Michael Stratford, Declan Harty, and Katy O’Donnell report for POLITICO; Praveena Somasundaram reports for the Washington Post.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) yesterday said he received “highly credible information” that Kash Patel “personally direct[ed]” the purge of senior FBI career officials and may have later perjured himself when telling the Senate he did not know of the dismissal plans. Patel’s nomination to be FBI Director faces a Thursday vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Jeremy Roebuck reports for the Washington Post.
House Speaker Mike Johnson yesterday said he “wholeheartedly” agrees that the Trump administration could make sweeping federal spending cuts without congressional approval. Karoun Demirjian and Maya C. Miller report for the New York Times.
A number of Republican senators have introduced a bill proposing to transfer a $1.8 billion U.S. Food for Peace program to the Agriculture Department. The food aid program is currently administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Kristina Peterson reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon yesterday pleaded guilty to defrauding donors in a fundraising effort to build a wall on the U.S. border. Under his plea deal, Bannon will not serve time in prison. Kara Scannell reports for CNN.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor yesterday underscored the importance of the separation of powers and the binding nature of court orders in remarks delivered at a Florida college. Adam Liptak reports for the New York Times.
Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger, the government ethics watchdog, yesterday filed a complaint against a former Federal Emergency Management Agency worker over allegedly discriminating against Trump supporters during a hurricane response in October. Dellinger is presently fighting Trump’s attempt to fire him. Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO.
Dozens of middle schoolers and some adults protested Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s visit to a U.S. base in Germany yesterday, according to a letter sent to parents by a school administrator. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.
The United States in 2024 fell to a new low on a perception of the global public-sector corruption index, published yesterday by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International. Sammy Westfall reports for the Washington Post.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Trump yesterday fired the independent USAID Inspector General, Paul Martin, a day after his office issued a critical report on the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency. David Nakamura, Lisa Rein and John Hudson report for the Washington Post.
Iran yesterday alerted the U.N. to what it described as “reckless and inflammatory statements” by Trump, pointing to the President’s remarks stating a preference for making a deal to stop Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon over bombing the country. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.
Trump yesterday met with Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained for more than three years in Russia, following his release in an “exchange.” Trump said the details of the deal will be released today. Kit Maher, Jennifer Hansler, and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn report for CNN.
Pope Francis yesterday rebuked Trump’s mass deportation policy and exhorted American Catholics not to lean into anti-immigrant sentiment. Sabrina Rodriguez reports for the Washington Post.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israel will end the Gaza ceasefire and commence “intense fighting” if hostages held by Hamas are not returned as scheduled this weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address yesterday. Netanyahu also said he has ordered the IDF to amass inside and around Gaza. David Gritten and Yolande Knell report for BBC News.
Israeli forces killed at least 92 Palestinians and wounded more than 800 since the Gaza ceasefire took hold, the Hamas-run health ministry’s director said yesterday. AP News reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. AND REGIONAL RESPONSE
Trump yesterday indicated he wants the United States to “take and hold” Gaza while meeting Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Following the meeting, Abdullah said he “reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians.” Michael Birnbaum and Dan Diamond report for the Washington Post.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis are ready to attack Israel if fighting in Gaza resumes, the group’s leader said yesterday. Reuters reports.
Egypt plans to offer “comprehensive proposals” to rebuild Gaza while Palestinians remain on their land, Cairo’s foreign ministry said yesterday. Reuters reports.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The United Arab Emirates’s call for a Ramadan ceasefire in Sudan was rejected by the Sudanese army yesterday, a UAE official and a high-level army source said. Reuters reports.
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have forcibly closed settlement camps in eastern Congo and caused the displacement of over 110,000 people in recent days, the U.N.’s humanitarian aid coordination agency said yesterday. Chinedu Asadu and Justin Kabumba report for AP News.
The M23 rebels yesterday attacked Congolese government forces in the South Kivu province, ending a two-day lull in fighting. Wedaeli Chibelushi reports for BBC News.
A Swedish court yesterday sentenced a woman to 12 years in prison for committing genocide and war crimes against the Yazidi people on behalf of the Islamic State in Syria. Eve Webster reports for BBC News.
A U.N. World Food Program staffer has died while detained by Houthi rebels in Yemen, the agency said yesterday. Samy Magdy reports for AP News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Trump suggested that Ukraine “may be Russian someday” in an interview yesterday. A Kremlin spokesperson said that “a significant part of Ukraine wants to become Russia” when asked about the remark. Christian Edwards, Anna Chernova, and Edward Szekeres report for CNN.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday said he may offer Russia a straight territory exchange during any future peace negotiations, giving up land Kyiv is holding in Russia’s Kursk region. Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, described the proposal as “nonsense.” Shaun Walker reports for the Guardian; Reuters reports.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
Trump yesterday said that he “always abide[s] by the courts” while adding that “maybe we have to look at the judges,” describing judicial orders blocking his executive orders as “a very serious violation.” Brianna Tucker reports for the Washington Post.
A senior Federal Emergency Management Agency official on Monday instructed subordinates to freeze federal funding for several grant programs. Hours earlier, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop such pauses. Jonathan Allen reports for NBC News; Daniel Barnes, Chloe Atkins, and Dareh Gregorian report for NBC News.
A federal appeals court yesterday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to lift restrictions on the federal funding freeze. Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report for POLITICO.
A judge yesterday loosened the restrictions on access to the Treasury Department’s payment and data systems, ruling that Senate-confirmed officials, including Secretary Scott Bessent, may access the system. Benjamin Weiser reports for the New York Times.
A federal judge has ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to temporarily restore the pages it has taken down pursuant to Trump’s anti-DEI executive order. Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports for the New York Times.
The Education Department yesterday agreed to temporarily block DOGE from accessing student loan data and other sensitive information. Alfred Ng reports for POLITICO.
Several religious groups yesterday sued the Homeland Security Department over its policy of conducting immigration raids at places of worship. Eileen Sullivan reports for the New York Times.
Foreign aid contractors and other groups yesterday filed a federal lawsuit alleging the Trump administration’s efforts to phase out USAID “violated the separation of powers.” Karoun Demirjian reports for the New York Times.
Federal employees yesterday filed two lawsuits accusing the federal government of violating privacy laws by disclosing their personal sensitive information to DOGE. Shayna Jacobs reports for the Washington Post.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
