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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
At least seven federal agencies initiated layoffs of thousands of government workers yesterday, as Office of Personnel Management officials advised agency leaders to dismiss probationary employees. The Trump administration has also begun introducing surveillance measures for the remaining workers, a source said. Sophia Cai, Eli Stokols, Jack Detsch, and Brakkton Booker report for POLITICO; Ted Oberg and Megan Lebowitz report for NBC News; Jenna McLaughlin and Shannon Bond report for NPR.
The Trump administration this week notified Congress that it is prepared to challenge a long-standing Supreme Court ruling that protects regulatory agencies’ commissioners from being fired without cause. Ann E. Marimow and Lauren Kaori Gurley report for the Washington Post.
The Labor Department has approved DOGE’s use of software that could allow it to transfer vast amounts of data out of the agency’s systems, alarming some career civil servants. David Ingram reports for NBC News.
The State Department has not awarded Tesla a contract to produce “armored” electric cars, the agency’s spokesperson said yesterday. The budget document was a procurement forecast that was last modified in December 2024, before Trump took office, the official said. Daniel Arkin reports for NBC News.
Pentagon officials have invited a far-right activist with a history of extreme rhetoric, Jack Posobiec, to participate in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s current overseas trip, according to documents reviewed by the Washington Post. Dan Lamothe reports.
The White House Correspondents’ Association yesterday again condemned the Trump administration, describing the White House’s barring of Associated Press from a news conference as an “outrageous escalation.” Ashleigh Fields reports for the Hill.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, and at least five federal prosecutors including two senior officials in Washington D.C. resigned yesterday after refusing to follow a Justice Department order to drop the corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Sassoon said that Adams’ attorneys repeatedly indicated that “Adams would be in a position to assist with [DOJ’s] enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed” and that her office was preparing to file additional charges against Adams. Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst, Ryan J. Reilly, and Laura Jarrett report for NBC News.
Mayor Eric Adams yesterday announced he would issue an executive order to allow ICE agents to enter the Rikers Island jail, a significant shift in the sanctuary city’s policies. Luis Ferré-Sadurní reports for the New York Times.
The Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday voted 12-10, along party lines, to advance Kash Patel’s nomination as FBI Director, moving his candidacy to a floor vote. Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times.
The Senate is deliberately slowing down Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) nomination as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. amid concerns over the impact of her prospective confirmation on the Republican’ slim majority in the House. Melanie Zanona, Frank Thorp V, and Garrett Haake report for NBC News.
Two U.S. Navy pilots were rescued after a military jet crashed into the San Diego Bay on Wednesday, officials said. Marlene Lenthang reports for NBC News.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
President Trump yesterday directed his advisers to come up with new “reciprocal” tariff levels on goods imported into the United States, a decision that would move the country away from setting tariffs through multilateral trade negotiations. Ana Swanson reports for the New York Times.
Russia should rejoin the G7, Trump said yesterday, stating it would be “helpful “ to include Moscow in the forum of advanced democracies from which Russia was suspended after its 2014 Ukraine invasion. Separately, Trump also said he will meet with China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin to discuss reducing the U.S., Chinese, and Russian military budgets. Seb Starcevic reports for POLITICO; Sareen Habeshian reports for Axios.
The United States deported migrants from several Asian nations to Panama on Wednesday, Panamanian and U.S. officials said. Hamed Aleaziz, Annie Correal, Maria Abi-Habib, and Julie Turkewitz report for the New York Times.
The Trump administration told U.S. embassies worldwide to prepare for staff cuts, sources told Reuters yesterday. Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk report.
The United States this week attempted to push UNICEF and U.N. Women away from focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender ideology. Separately, the U.N. World Food Programme’s Gender Protection and Inclusion service sent a note advising on how its staff should speak about diversity “in light of recent communications … from the White House.” Michelle Nichols and Maya Gebeily report for Reuters.
India and the United States will create a framework for defense cooperation and work together on semiconductors, quantum technology, and artificial intelligence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced yesterday following a meeting with Trump. Maggie Haberman and Zolan Kanno-Youngs report for the New York Times.
The U.S. aid freeze has temporarily stopped a U.S.-funded anti-narcotics program in Mexico targeting fentanyl smuggling, sources say. Humeyra Pamuk, Stephen Eisenhammer, and Laura Gottesdiener report for Reuters.
A nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier collided with a merchant ship in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, a U.S. Navy spokesperson said yesterday. The official said that no injuries were reported. Natasha Bertrand and Brad Lendon report for CNN.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Trump yesterday offered reassurances that “of course” Ukraine would be involved in negotiations to end the war with Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said that Ukraine will not accept a peace deal negotiated by Moscow and Washington without Kyiv’s involvement. Jeanna Smialek, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Matthew Mpoke Bigg, and Thomas Fuller report for the New York Times; Reuters reports.
The United States may impose sanctions and potentially take military action against Russia if it does not agree to a peace deal that guarantees Ukraine’s independence, Vice President JD Vance said yesterday. The option of sending U.S. troops to Ukraine “remains on the table,” Vance added. Bojan Pancevski and Alexander Ward report for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday moderated his remarks on Ukraine’s NATO accession prospects, saying that “everything is on the table” in Trump’s conversations with Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Shortly afterwards, Trump said that he does not think “a country in Russia’s position” would allow Ukraine to join the alliance. Dan Lamothe and Karen DeYoung report for the Washington Post.
Zelenskyy said today that a Russian drone strike hit the shell of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, adding that radiation levels at the plant have not increased. A Kremlin spokesperson denied Russia was responsible. Ian Aikman reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas yesterday “reaffirmed its commitment” to implementing the Gaza ceasefire, “including the exchange of prisoners according to the specified timeline,” a move that could defuse the standoff over the fragile agreement. Israeli government spokesperson said that three hostages must be released alive by Hamas on Saturday for the ceasefire to continue. Nidal Al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie report for Reuters.
Hamas yesterday fired a rocket from Gaza that landed inside the territory, with Israel responding by striking the launcher, the Israeli military said. Summer Said and Anat Peled report for the Wall Street Journal.
Last year was the deadliest for journalists in more than three decades, with nearly 70% deaths caused by the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza and Lebanon, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a Wednesday report. The IDF said it “takes all operationally feasible measures” to mitigate harm to journalists. Lucas Lilieholm reports for CNN.
SYRIA
Northeast Syria’s Kurdish-led administration and loyalists of the Assad regime will not be invited to the national dialogue conference intended to shape Syria’s new constitution, organizers said yesterday. Sally About Aljoud and Abdelrahman Shaheen report for AP News.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Armed men have raped hundreds of women and children during a single week of fighting in eastern Congo’s capital Goma at the end of January, UNICEF Executive Chief Catherine Russell said yesterday. It could not be determined whether M23 rebels or government troops were responsible, Russel added. Nicholas Bariyo reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Iran may be rearming its missile program, Western experts say, pointing to a recent Chinese shipment of a chemical that could be a key component in Iran’s missile fuel. Saskya Vandoorne, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Simone McCarthy, and Yong Xiong report for CNN.
A CODECO militant attack on a cluster of DRC villages killed more than 80 civilians, the U.N. peacekeeping mission MONUSCO said yesterday, a revision from a previous estimate of at least 51 people killed. Reuters reports.
China and the South Pacific nation of the Cook Islands are poised to sign a strategic partnership today, a move that has sparked New Zealand concerns about the possible expansion of Chinese military presence. Michael E. Miller reports for the Washington Post.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily unfreeze foreign aid spending late yesterday, finding that the executive order imposing a blanket freeze on aid was causing irreparable harm to aid groups. Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.
A fourth federal judge yesterday blocked Trump’s birthright citizenship-limiting executive order, stating that the Constitution confers birthright citizenship “to persons within the categories described” in the order. Michael Casey and Mike Catalini report for AP News.
A federal judge yesterday extended the temporary order restraining the Trump administration from placing a quarter of USAID employees on leave and recalling the overseas staff until the end of next week. Karoun Demirjian and Eileen Sullivan report for the New York Times.
A federal judge yesterday temporarily blocked Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict transgender health care for teenagers. Alice Miranda Ollstein reports for POLITICO.
Fourteen states yesterday filed a lawsuit arguing that the “virtually unchecked” authority that Trump granted to Elon Musk and DOGE to remake the federal government is unconstitutional. Nnamdi Egwuonwu reports for NBC News.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze, alleging the effort jeopardized at least $5.5 billion in federally appropriated money for Pennsylvania and amounted to an “unconstitutional withholding of funds.” Allan Smith reports for NBC News.
Did you miss this? Stay up-to-date with our Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
