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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
President Trump yesterday signed an executive order calling for the U.S. Foreign Service to be reformed “to ensure faithful and effective implementation of the President’s foreign policy agenda” and stating that a failure to implement such policy would be grounds for “professional discipline.” Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.
The Associated Press yesterday accused the White House of violating the First Amendment by banning it from covering multiple Oval Office events, saying the move was “plainly intended to punish The A.P. for the content of its speech.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the decision, stating that “it is a privilege to cover this White House” and “if we feel there are lies being pushed by outlets … we are going to hold those lies accountable.” Katie Robertson and Maggie Haberman report for the New York Times; Dominick Mastrangelo reports for the Hill.
The ongoing Justice Department and FBI shake-ups have eroded continuity on national security matters by removing multiple veteran officials from a daily intelligence coordination meeting, officials say. Perry Stein and Mark Berman report for the Washington Post.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said he plans to welcome the “keen eye of DOGE” to scrutinize Pentagon spending “very soon.” Zachary Basu reports for Axios.
Roughly 75,000 federal workers have accepted the Trump administration’s “fork in the road” offer before the program was closed yesterday, a senior administration official said. Rebecca Beitsch reports for the Hill.
The Federal Communications Commission is looking to open an investigation into Comcast, NBCUniversal’s parent company, over its DEI policies, according to a letter published by the FCC Brendan Carr yesterday. Dominick Mastrangelo reports for the Hill.
The Trump administration is planning to spend $400 million on purchasing armored Tesla vehicles, according to a State Department document detailing 2025 fiscal year procurement. The document was later revised to omit the word “Tesla.” Ryan Grim reports for Drop Site News; Bobby Allyn reports for NPR.
An unknown number of federal grants remains frozen by the Trump administration, according to nonprofits, government agencies, and other recipients. David A. Fahrenthold, Sharon LaFraniere, Nicholas Nehamas, and Coral Davenport report for the New York Times.
The Trump administration is considering using Defense Department funds to hire contractors to expand the scale and scope of immigrant arrests and deportations, sources say. Julia Ainsley and Courtney Kube report for NBC News.
Mass federal agency firings have begun, with terminations underway at the Education Department and the Small Business Administration, according to federal employees. Separately, sources said that dozens of General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services employees were fired yesterday. Rene Marsh and Tami Luhby report for CNN; Makena Kelly reports for WIRED.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The Senate yesterday voted 52-48 to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence, with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KC) joining Democratic Senators in voting against the nomination. Abigail Hauslohner reports for the Washington Post.
Trump’s deputy Attorney General pick, Todd Blanche, said he would “not violate [his] ethical obligations” but did not commit to recusing himself from DOJ investigations involving cases in which he formerly represented the President during his confirmation hearing yesterday. Jeremy Roebuck and Cristiano Lima-Strong report for the Washington Post.
House Democrats yesterday sent a letter urging the DOJ’s inspector general to investigate the acting Deputy Attorney General, Emil Bove, and interim U.S. Attorney for the D.C., Ed Martin, alleging they engaged in “flagrant ethics violations.” Luke Broadwater reports for the New York Times.
Senate Democrats are pressing Homeland Security panel Republicans for a bipartisan probe into Trump’s firings of government watchdogs, reports Stephen Neukam for Axios.
Elon Musk is pushing National Endowment for Democracy, a nonprofit dedicated to bolstering democracy overseas, toward shutdown, with little apparent resistance from Republican lawmakers who have long supported it. Phelim Kine reports for POLITICO.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) this week circulated a petition to “arrest and deport” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), according to an email seen by Axios. Andrew Solender reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Trump administration is releasing a Russian cybercriminal who pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2024 as part of a prisoner swap that led to yesterday’s release of an American schoolteacher from Russia. Anton Troianovski, Maggie Haberman, Julian E. Barnes, and Jonathan Swan report for the New York Times.
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employees in the Democratic Republic of Congo “feared for their safety” during a chaotic withdrawal from Kinshasa amid violent protests and looting, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday. Kaanita Iyer reports for CNN.
Belarus freed an American prisoner and two others from jail, an opposition group said yesterday, in what could be a bid to improve its frosty relations with the West. Andrew Higgins and Tomas Dapkus report for the New York Times.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Trump yesterday said he had a “lengthy and productive” call with President Putin, characterizing it as the beginning of a negotiation to end the war in Ukraine. Separately, Trump also said it’s “unlikely” Ukraine would return to its pre-2014 borders. Maggie Haberman, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, and Anton Troianovski report for the New York Times.
U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth yesterday called Ukraine’s desire to recover all territory lost to Russia and ambition to join NATO “unrealistic,” and stated that Trump’s push to hold talks with Putin was “not a betrayal” of Kyiv. Several NATO defense ministers today stressed that Ukraine and Europe should not be cut out from peace negotiations. Natasha Bertrand, Clare Sebastian, and Haley Britzky report for CNN; Tamsin Paternoster reports for Euronews; Lorne Cook reports for AP News.
Chinese officials have recently floated a proposal for Beijing to hold a summit between Trump and Putin and facilitate peacekeeping efforts after an eventual truce in Ukraine, according to U.S. and Beijing sources. A White House official described the proposal as “not viable.” Lingling Wei, Alexander Ward, and Laurence Norman report for the Wall Street Journal.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE
Israel is seeking another extension of its next-week deadline for withdrawal from southern Lebanon, according to a Western diplomatic source. Hugo Bachega reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
A Hamas spokesperson today said the group does not want the Gaza ceasefire deal to collapse. Meanwhile, mediators Egypt and Qatar are trying to find solutions to prevent a resumption of fighting, according to a Palestinian official. Reuters reports.
The leaders of Jordan and Egypt yesterday stressed their countries’ “shared position” on reconstructing Gaza without displacing Palestinians, Jordan’s monarchy said in a statement. Seb Starcevic reports for POLITICO.
Trump has asked Arab countries to propose a regional peace plan, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday. Dan Diamond reports for the Washington Post.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
U.S. intelligence assessments from January suggest Israel is considering significant strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities this year, U.S. officials say. Jared Malsin, Alexander Ward, and Dov Lieber report for the Wall Street Journal.
Sudan and Russia have reached an “understanding” on establishing a Russian naval base on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali Youssef said yesterday. Basillioh Rukanga reports for BBC News.
An effort by Austria’s Freedom Party to form a coalition government collapsed yesterday, temporarily ending the party’s chances of leading the country’s first far-right government since World War II. Christopher F. Schuetze reports for the New York Times.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s crackdown on Bangladesh student protesters last year killed as many as 1,400 people and possibly amounted to crimes against humanity, according to a U.N. fact-finding report released yesterday. Nick Cumming-Bruce reports for the New York Times.
At least 28 people were injured when a car crashed into a crowd in Munich today , in what Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder said was presumably an attack. Damien McGuinness reports for BBC News.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A judge yesterday lifted a hold on the Trump administration’s “fork in the road” resignation program, saying the federal employees’ unions lacked standing to challenge the offer. The Office of Personnel Management swiftly closed the offer following the ruling. Olivia George, Steve Thompson, and Emily Davies report for the Washington Post.
Attorney General Pam Bondi yesterday said the DOJ is suing the New York Governor, state Attorney General, and commissioner of the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles, over what Bondi said was their failure to enforce federal immigration laws. Separately, New York City Comptroller yesterday said the federal government had clawed back $80 million in FEMA funds earmarked for migrant housing and services. Victoria Albert, Sadie Gurman, and Michelle Hackman report for the Wall Street Journal.
A federal judge yesterday issued a temporary restraining order blocking Trump from firing the head of the Office of the Special Counsel, Hampton Dellinger, saying the effort “plainly contravenes” federal law. Rebecca Beitsch reports for the Hill.
Eight inspectors general fired by Trump last month sued the Trump administration yesterday, alleging their firings were carried out unlawfully. Lisa Rein reports for the Washington Post.
Five federal employees’ unions yesterday filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from carrying out potential mass firings, alleging such a move would violate the principles of separation of powers. Reuters reports.
A coalition of civil liberties and immigrant rights groups yesterday filed a lawsuit seeking to gain access to immigrants detained at Guantánamo Bay who the complaint says at present cannot speak to counsel or the outside world. Russell Contreras reports for Axios.
Two transgender girls yesterday filed a complaint challenging Trump’s recent executive order banning transgender girls and women from participating in girls’ sports. Eric Leveson reports for CNN.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
