is vowing yet again to asking them to list five things they accomplished last week. Just after 7 p.m. EST 鈥 hours after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management had directed agencies that responses to its email were optional 鈥 Musk again threatened federal workers in a post on X, his social media platform.
, including the FBI and State Department, have told their employees not to respond.
Here's the latest:
Musk vows yet again to fire federal workers who don鈥檛 respond to his email
Just hours after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management had directed agencies that responses to its email were optional, Musk again threatened federal workers in a post on X, his social media platform.
He wrote: 鈥淪ubject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.鈥
President Donald Trump backed Musk earlier Monday, two days after OPM initially sent an email asking federal workers to list five things they accomplished last week. Several government agencies, including the FBI and State Department, have told their employees not to respond.
Hegseth says he fired the top military lawyers because they weren鈥檛 '
well-suited' for the jobs
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that he was replacing the top lawyers for the military services because he didn鈥檛 think they were 鈥渨ell-suited鈥 to provide recommendations when lawful orders are given.
On Friday, Trump abruptly fired the chair, Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., and Hegseth followed that by firing Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations, and the vice chief of the Air Force, Gen. James C. Slife. He also said he was 鈥渞equesting nominations鈥 for the jobs of judge advocate general for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
He did not identify the lawyers by name. The Navy JAG, Vice Adm. Christopher French, retired about two months ago, and there was already an ongoing effort to seek a replacement. The Army JAG, Lt. Gen. Joseph B. Berger III, and Air Force JAG, Lt. Gen. Charles L. Plummer, were fired.
White House claims 鈥榲ictory鈥 after a federal judge rejects immediately restoring AP鈥檚 access to White House
The White House is claiming 鈥渧ictory鈥 after a federal judge refused to immediately order the White House to restore The Associated Press鈥 access to presidential events.
In a statement, the White House called the development a victory and said, 鈥淲e stand by our decision鈥 to bar the AP from Trump public events.
The AP had argued that the White House鈥檚 move amounted to a 鈥渢argeted attack鈥 that 鈥渟trikes at the very core of the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden said the AP hadn鈥檛 demonstrated suffering any irreparable harm.
But McFadden, a Trump appointee, also urged the Trump administration to reconsider its 2-week-old ban, saying that case law 鈥渋s uniformly unhelpful to the White House.鈥
The White House, meanwhile, began displaying a pair of monitors in the briefing room reading 鈥淕ulf of America鈥 and 鈥淰ictory.鈥
USAID describes confusion over double firings
The Trump administration double fired probationary employees at the U.S. Agency for International Development on Monday, sending multiple probationary staffers notice of their summary terminations less than a day after telling them their posts were being eliminated in coming months, according to a senior USAID official.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of a Trump administration gag order on the agency鈥檚 workforce.
Meanwhile, some of the fraction of USAID staffers who鈥檇 been informed in agency emails Sunday they were too essential to pull off the job also received notification their posts were being eliminated, the official said. USAID described confusion over the cuts, which were removing the last staffers for some programs.
___
Associated Press reporter Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report from Washington.
Macron says the US
and Europe don鈥檛 need a trade war
French President Emmanuel Macron told Fox News in an interview after meeting with Trump that he hoped he had convinced the U.S. leader to avoid a possible trade war.
The French president said the U.S. and European economies are intertwined and Trump鈥檚 plan to hike tariffs to levels he feels are fair would make it harder to challenge China鈥檚 industrial strength.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need a trade war,鈥 Macron said. 鈥淲e need more prosperity together.鈥
Trump鈥檚 plan to reset tariffs around the world to levels that he says would be 鈥渞eciprocal鈥 could be implemented as soon as April.
Email to HHS employees warns of 鈥榤align foreign actors鈥 reading responses
Federal workers who have been asked to detail what they accomplished last week have been told to assume what they write will be read by 鈥渕align foreign actors鈥 and to 鈥渢ailor your response accordingly.鈥
The warning is in the last line of an email sent to employees at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management sent an email to employees Saturday, asking them to state their accomplishments in the past week.
The Monday email said that after discussions with OPM officials Sunday and Monday, the office has 鈥渘ow rescinded that mandatory requirement.鈥 It says there is no expectation that employees respond, and there is 鈥渘o impact to your employment with the agency if you choose not to respond.鈥
The email provides employees with guidelines for how to respond if they decide to do so. The guidelines include keeping responses 鈥渁t a high level of generality and describe your work in a manger to protect sensitive data.鈥
Federal judge questions the role of the White House Correspondents鈥 Association in oral arguments over the AP鈥檚 lawsuit
U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden peppered both sides with questions during arguments over a lawsuit the AP filed Friday saying that its First Amendment rights were being violated by the ban, which began gradually two weeks ago.
McFadden, discussing the composition of the 鈥減ress pool鈥 that is chosen by the White House Correspondents鈥 Association, questioned why the government was obligated to follow those choices. 鈥淚t feels a little odd that the White House is somehow bound by the decisions this private organization is making,鈥 the judge told AP attorneys.
He also questioned AP鈥檚 noting of its longtime membership in the White House press pool. 鈥淚s this administration somehow bound by what happened with President McKinley?鈥 the judge asked. But he noted that the correspondents鈥 group had been tasked by the White House to choose the members of its pool.
鈥淭he White House has accepted the correspondents鈥 association to be the referee here, and has just discriminated against one organization. That does seem problematic,鈥 McFadden said in an exchange with government attorney Brian Hudak.
Later, McFadden warned the government鈥檚 attorney to reconsider its position, saying 鈥渃ase law in this circuit is uniformly unhelpful to the White House.鈥
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Judge does not immediately restore AP鈥檚 access to White House but urges government to reconsider its ban
A federal judge refused to immediately order the White House to restore the AP's access to presidential events, saying the news organization had not demonstrated it had suffered irreparable harm in the matter. But he urged the government to reconsider its 2-week-old ban, saying that case law 鈥渋s uniformly unhelpful to the White House.鈥
U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden鈥檚 decision was only for the moment. He told attorneys for the Trump administration and the AP that the issue required more exploration before ruling.
Trump鈥檚 Cabinet members have already backtracked on some promises made before being confirmed
As they mustered support for their confirmations by the U.S. Senate, some of made statements about the leadership of the FBI to vaccine schedules and Russia sanctions.
Now appointed, some have already distanced themselves from their previous statements.
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Pennsylvania鈥檚 governor says the state is now getting federal aid that had been withheld
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday that the Trump administration has freed up billions in federal aid the Democrat had accused it of withholding illegally and unconstitutionally.
said more than $2 billion his administration had identified as either frozen or held up by an unspecified review was now accessible to state agencies.
Shapiro in federal court over the aid Feb. 13, after federal courts had rejected the Trump administration鈥檚 sweeping pause on federal funding, and questioned whether the Trump administration was ignoring court orders to restore access to the suspended money.
Much of the stalled grant funding was passed by Congress in signature laws signed by former President Joe Biden, his , the Inflation Reduction Act, and his 2021 .
Court orders block Trump administration from moving transgender women inmates to men鈥檚 prisons
Most transgender women inmates now assigned to federal women鈥檚 prisons can stay there, a judge ruled Monday, thwarting the Trump administration鈥檚 plans to move them to men鈥檚 prisons.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, D.C., expanded his preliminary injunction to apply to a dozen prisoners who faced relocation to men鈥檚 prisons under Trump鈥檚 executive order rolling back transgender protections.
The judge ordered the federal Bureau of Prisons to continue their 鈥渉ousing status and medical care,鈥 including hormone therapy, as they existed immediately prior to Jan. 20, Trump鈥檚 first day back in the White House and the day he signed the executive order.
Lamberth noted at a hearing this month that there are only about 16 transgender women housed in women鈥檚 facilities in the federal prison system. Last month, a Boston federal judge halted the transfer of another transgender women鈥檚 to a men鈥檚 prison. In all, 13 people are covered by orders blocking the moves.
The Bureau of Prisons declined comment, saying it doesn鈥檛 comment on pending litigation.
Trump and Macron鈥檚 joint news conference has ended
It ended with France鈥檚 president asking if Europe doesn鈥檛 move to guarantee Ukraine鈥檚 security, 鈥淗ow can we guarantee our own security?鈥
The 40-minute news conference featured a series of questions put to both leaders. But Ukraine, predictably, dominated the conversation.
Trump mostly stuck to discussing his efforts to negotiate an end to Russia鈥檚 war in that country with officials from Moscow. But he also spoke at length about how pleased he was with the efforts to reconstruct Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after a devastating fire there in 2019.
Putin says he has not discussed ending the war in Ukraine in detail with Trump
Putin said Monday that he has not discussed resolving the conflict in Ukraine in detail with Trump, and neither did Russian and American negotiating teams when they met last week in Saudi Arabia.
In remarks broadcast on state television, Putin also said Russia does not rule out European countries participating in a peace settlement.
Earlier in the day, Trump said he believed Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a potential deal to end the war and said he had asked Putin that question.
Putin and senior Russian officials had previously indicated they would not accept Western forces in Ukraine.
鈥業t was a great achievement,鈥 Trump says of Notre Dame Cathedral鈥檚 reconstruction
Trump repeatedly gushed about the in Paris after a devastating 2019 fire as Macron thanked Trump for attending the cathedral鈥檚 reopening, calling it a testament to the long history of friendship between their countries.
鈥淭hat was a sad day watching that burn, and five years later you had it up and they say it鈥檚 even more beautiful than it was before,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淚t was a great achievement.鈥
The cathedral鈥檚 reconstruction required nearly , including from U.S. organizations and citizens.
Trump says tariffs will be starting on Canada and Mexico in March
That鈥檚 despite ongoing talks among the three countries.
鈥淭he tariffs are going forward on time, on schedule," Trump said.
Trump seemed to indicate after being asked about the tariffs on Canada and Mexico that other nations would also face his planned 鈥渞eciprocal鈥 tariffs. The U.S. president said his plans to tax imports are 鈥渕oving along very rapidly.鈥
Trump initially threatened tariffs on America鈥檚 two largest trade partners in November of last year before taking the oath of office. He has said the tariffs are meant to get Canada and Mexico to address illegal immigration and drug smuggling, with both countries emphasizing and amplifying existing policies in ways that prevented the tariffs from being implemented as initially planned in February.
Trump boasted about leveraging his relationship with Russia to promote peace in Ukraine
He said one of his first calls in after he returned to the White House was to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
鈥淏efore I came here, there was no communication with Russia whatsoever, and Russia wasn鈥檛 answering calls,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey were not talking to anybody, and people accepted that.鈥
Trump said he was treated 鈥渨ith great respect鈥 by Putin and told 鈥渢hey want to end this war.鈥
鈥淚 really believe that he wants to make a deal,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淚 may be wrong but he wants to make a deal.鈥
Macron says he thinks it鈥檚 good to have discussions between the US and Russia
France鈥檚 president says, 鈥淚 always think it鈥檚 good to have discussion with other leaders and especially when you disagree.鈥
He said of the Trump administration鈥檚 discussions with Russia over ending fighting in Ukraine, 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 good to have discussion.鈥
Macron also suggested that other European nations could assist in that process going forward.
Macron says fairness is focus on trade talks with Trump
Macron said he talked with Trump about 鈥渇air competition鈥 in trade, a commitment meant to stave off the U.S. leader鈥檚 threats to tariff members of the European Union.
鈥淲e want to make a sincere commitment towards a fair competition where we have smooth trade and more investments,鈥 Macron said at a White House news conference, according to a translation of his French remarks.
Macron said the idea is to help the United States and Europe both prosper, saying further talks would be carried out by their respective teams to flesh out their ideas.
Trump already plans to remove the exemptions on his 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs, but his administration is weighing what the U.S. president calls 鈥渞eciprocal鈥 taxes on imports to be levied as soon as April.
Macron: France committed to helping shoulder more of financial burden of ensuring peace in Ukraine
鈥淎s Europeans, we have committed to being stakeholders in these security guarantees,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd we are well aware that Europeans need to do more for security in Europe, for defense in Europe and to more fairly share the security burden that your country has been carrying for so many years.鈥
Macron says 鈥榩eace must not be a surrender of Ukraine鈥
And the French president said that an end to the fighting can鈥檛 be 鈥渁 ceasefire without guarantees.鈥
In opening remarks during his news conference with Trump, Macron said European nations need to contribute more to maintaining the defense and security of their continent 鈥 potentially relieving financial pressure on the U.S., which has borne most of the financial burden.
But he also said, 鈥淲e admire greatly the courage of the Ukrainian people鈥 in that country鈥檚 battles against Russia.
鈥淚 think that no one in this room wants to live in a world where it鈥檚 the law of the strongest,鈥 Macron said.
Macron emphasized $128 billion in French aid to Ukraine, which he expected to only last a few weeks
The French president said Ukrainian sovereignty is an 鈥渆xistential issue鈥 for stability in Europe.
鈥淯kraine has been able to hold the front of our collective security. Its fought over these past few years for its independence and for its sovereignty but also for our collective security,鈥 he said.
Trump repeatedly knocked his predecessor, Biden, for allowing the Ukraine war to drag on
Trump claimed the war 鈥渨ould never have happened if I was president鈥 and that he鈥檚 made more progress toward peace in Ukraine 鈥渢han occurred in the past three years.鈥
He also said he was 鈥減leased that President Macron agrees that the cost and burden of securing the peace must be borne by the nations of Europe, not alone by the United States.鈥
鈥淚 believe taxpayers in the United States also deserve to recoup the colossal amounts of money that we鈥檝e sent,鈥 he said.
鈥淥ur focus is on achieving a ceasefire as soon as possible, and ultimately permanent peace,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淢y meeting with President Macron was a very important step forward.鈥
USDA sued for removing climate change-focused pages from its website
The lawsuit was filed Monday by the environmental law nonprofit Earthjustice and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.
The lawsuit argues that the move violates the Freedom of Information Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, which involve rules around government actions and information access.
The plaintiffs seek a court order requiring the USDA to 鈥渞estore access to key webpages and preventing USDA from removing additional climate-related information,鈥 according to a news release published today by Earthjustice.
鈥淏y wiping critical climate resources from the USDA鈥檚 website, the Trump administration has deliberately stripped farmers and ranchers of the vital tools they need to confront the escalating extreme weather threats like droughts and floods,鈥 said Anne Schechinger, Midwest director for the Environmental Working Group, one of the plaintiffs.
The USDA referred a request for comment to the Department of Justice, which did not immediately respond to the AP.
Trump calls the Ukraine war 鈥榓 horrible, bloody mess鈥
Trump says the war has meant that 鈥渁n entire generation of Ukrainians and Russian men has been decimated.鈥
At the top of a joint news conference with French President Emanuel Macron, Trump said of three years of fighting in Ukraine, 鈥淲hat a mess. What a horrible, bloody mess.鈥
He promised a clean break with Democratic President Joe Biden鈥檚 policy in Ukraine, and said that discussions between Russia and his administration were moving toward peace 鈥減retty quickly.鈥
Trump outlined France鈥檚 history as 鈥楢merica鈥檚 oldest ally鈥 as he opened a news conference
The news conference followed his Monday meeting with Macron.
鈥淭he purpose of our meeting today is to end another battle, a really horrible one, a war, something we haven鈥檛 seen since the Second World War that is ravaging European soil,鈥 Trump said.
Trump spoke on the third anniversary of Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine, which he said Monday 鈥渨ould never have happened if I was president.鈥
Trump expresses hope Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine is nearing endgame as he meets with France鈥檚 Macron
Trump, in broad-ranging comments on the state of , said Monday he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine to keep the peace. He also expressed hope the conflict could end within weeks and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would soon come to the U.S. to sign a deal to give the U.S. access to to help repay some of the $180 billion in American aid that鈥檚 been sent to Kyiv since the start of the war.
鈥淚t looks like we鈥檙e getting very close,鈥 Trump told reporters at the start of his bilateral meeting with Macron. He added that Zelenskyy could potentially visit Washington this week or next to sign the deal.
Trump and Macron earlier on Monday participated in a virtual meeting with fellow Group of Seven leaders to discuss the war.
Judge set to hear arguments in the AP鈥檚 lawsuit against Trump officials
A judge is due to hear arguments Monday afternoon in against three staff members of Trump, whose administration has from presidential events.
The AP is appearing in federal court in Washington on Monday over its emergency motion to undo the administration鈥檚 move to shut its journalists out of the Oval Office, Air Force One and other areas where the outlet has long operated as part of the White House press pool.
The dispute stems from the news agency鈥檚 refusal to conform to Trump鈥檚 renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the 鈥淕ulf of America.鈥 The terminology because its audience is global and the waters are not only in U.S. territory, but it is acknowledging Trump鈥檚 rechristening as well.
AP says the issue strikes at the very core of the U.S. Constitution鈥檚 First Amendment, which bars the government from punishing speech. The White House says access to the president is a privilege, not a right.
Judge blocks immigration agents from making arrests in churches for some religious groups
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chang on Monday found that the Trump administration policy could violate their religious freedom and should be blocked while a lawsuit plays out.
The preliminary injunction from the Maryland-based judge only applies to the plaintiffs, which include five Quaker congregations, a Georgia-based network of Baptist churches and a temple in California.
They sued after threw out Department of Homeland Security policies limiting where migrant arrests could happen as Trump seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations.
The policy change said field agents using 鈥渃ommon sense鈥 and 鈥渄iscretion鈥 can conduct immigration enforcement operations at houses of worship without a supervisor鈥檚 approval.
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Macron tells Trump that Europe provided 鈥榬eal money鈥 to Ukraine
Macron interrupted Trump as the U.S. president was saying, 鈥淓urope is loaning the money to Ukraine. They鈥檒l get their money back.鈥
Putting his hand on Trump鈥檚 arm, Macron corrected: 鈥淣o, in fact, to be frank, we paid 60% of the total effort: it was through, like the U.S., loans, guarantees, grants. We provided real money, to be clear.鈥
In meeting with Macron, Trump threatens tariffs
Trump reiterated his plans to charge 鈥渞eciprocal鈥 tariffs against every country in the world, as French President Emanuel Macron listened in silence as the two met in the Oval Office.
鈥淲hatever they charge us, we charge them,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淣obody has a problem.鈥
Trump has portrayed the planned taxes on imports as a matter of fairness. Still, his threatened tariffs would include other factors such as the value added taxes charged in Europe and state subsidies in determining rates. Europe has plans to retaliate with tariffs against Trump鈥檚 plans to reinforce his 2018 taxes on steel and aluminum imports with no exceptions provided to allies.
Trump backs Musk鈥檚 demand for federal employees to report what they鈥檝e accomplished
Trump suggested that only those working on secret or confidential things don鈥檛 have to comply with Musk's demand.
Some key U.S. agencies told their staffers not to answer the email, including the FBI and State Department. But Trump called the email 鈥済reat.鈥
Though some agencies issued noncompliance orders, he said, 鈥淭hat was done in a friendly matter,鈥 and suggested it was about protecting secret or sensitive work, not seeking to be 鈥渃ombative鈥 with Musk.
鈥淭here was a lot of genius in sending it,鈥 Trump said of Musk鈥檚 email.
Trump says Putin
would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of potential deal to end war
Trump made the comments to reporters at a start of a meeting with Macron at the White House on Monday.
鈥淵eah, he will accept it,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淚 have asked him that question. Look If we do this deal, he鈥檚 not looking for more war.鈥
Democrats urge officials to tell workers they don鈥檛 have to respond to Musk鈥檚 demands
The letter from more than 100 House Democrats came in response to a social media post from Musk and a subsequent Office of Personnel Management email of what they got done in the last week.
The letter went to Trump鈥檚 top cabinet members and other agency heads, and it said Musk lacks a basic understanding of how government works. Finally, it said the agency heads must make clear that Musk鈥檚 threat of dismissal due to a nonresponse to the email is invalid.
鈥淲hether Mr. Musk understands it or not, America is a nation of laws, our government is a system of checks and balances, and federal agencies will not be reorganized by social media post,鈥 the letter read.
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Trump says Zelenskyy could come to Washington soon to sign a rare earth minerals agreement
The Trump administration wants more access to valuable minerals like lithium. Trump said a deal there was close. He also suggested a larger deal ending Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine could come 鈥渨ithin weeks.鈥
Asked if he鈥檇 call Russian President Vladimir Putin a dictator after calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that last week, Trump wouldn鈥檛 say, offering only, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 use those words lightly.鈥
New FBI Director Kash Patel is also now at the helm of the ATF
Patel was sworn in Monday as acting chief of the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives just days after he became director of the FBI, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they weren鈥檛 authorized to discuss the matter.
It鈥檚 not immediately clear if Trump intends to nominate Patel for the ATF post, or what the administration鈥檚 plans are for the agency that has long been the target of Republicans. Justice Department and White House officials didn鈥檛 immediately respond to a request for comment.
With about 5,500 employees, the ATF is responsible for enforcing the nation鈥檚 laws around firearms, explosives and arson. Among other things, it鈥檚 in charge of licensing federal firearms dealers, and analyzing intelligence in shooting investigations.
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鈥 Alanna Durkin Richer
鈥業f you can鈥檛 come up with five things that you did, maybe you shouldn鈥檛 be employed here鈥
The head of the Department of Transportation said Monday he expects his employees to comply to Musk鈥檚 demand for a list of five things they did last week 鈥 or possibly lose their jobs.
鈥淚f you can鈥檛 come up with five things that you did, maybe you shouldn鈥檛 be employed here,鈥 DOT Secretary Sean Duffy said on Fox News. 鈥淭his is an easy task.鈥
Musk鈥檚 government cost-cutting team has begun eliminating jobs at the DOT through buyouts and firings. That includes cuts at the auto safety unit that鈥檚 investigating Tesla crashes and ordering the Musk-run carmaker to recall vehicles.
Duffy told Congress before he was confirmed that he wouldn鈥檛 interfere on Musk鈥檚 behalf to stop Tesla probes.
Duffy added in the Fox interview that, if anything, the Musk email demanding federal employees list their accomplishments by the end of Monday may prove inspiring to workers.
UN rejects US resolution that doesn鈥檛 note Russian aggression in Ukraine war
In a win for Ukraine on the third anniversary of Russia鈥檚 invasion, the United States on Monday failed to get the U.N. General Assembly to approve its resolution seeking to end the war without mentioning Russian aggression.
The U.S. draft resolution was amended by the assembly, adding language making clear that Russia invaded its smaller neighbor in violation of the U.N. Charter.
The vote in the 193-nation world body on the amended U.S. resolution was 93-8 with 73 abstentions, with Ukraine voting 鈥測es,鈥 the U.S. abstaining and Russia voting 鈥渘o.鈥
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Trump says he hopes a proposed deal to recoup billions in military aid to Ukraine will soon be signed
In a post to his Truth Social website, Trump said Monday he explained to Macron and other leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies that the deal, which would involve the U.S. taking control of a significant portion of Ukraine鈥檚 rare earths and mineral assets, was critical to his efforts to end the war.
Those efforts have included direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top Russian leaders as well as a United Nations resolution calling for an end to the war.
鈥淓veryone expressed their goal of seeing the war end, and I emphasized the importance of the vital 鈥楥ritical Minerals and Rare-Earths Deal鈥 between the United States and Ukraine, which we hope will be signed very soon!鈥 Trump wrote. He said the agreement would result in a long-term economic partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine and would help 鈥淯kraine鈥檚 economy grow as this brutal and savage war comes to an end.鈥
Trump鈥檚 comments came on the third anniversary of the start of the war.
FDA moves to rehire medical device staffers fired only days earlier
Barely a week after , some probationary staffers received unexpected news over the weekend: The government wants them back.
Beginning Friday night, FDA employees overseeing medical devices and other key areas received calls and emails notifying them that their recent terminations had been 鈥渞escinded effective immediately,鈥 according to messages viewed by the AP.
Three FDA staffers affected by the decisions spoke with the AP on condition of anonymity because they planned to continue working for the agency and weren鈥檛 authorized to discuss its internal procedures.
The reversal is the latest example of Trump and Musk鈥檚 to cost-cutting, which has resulted in several agencies firing, and then , employees responsible for , and other government services.
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鈥 Matthew Perrone
Massachusetts cities sue over Trump threats to cut funds if they don鈥檛 cooperate on immigration
The two cities, Chelsea and Somerville, are Boston suburbs that have so-called sanctuary policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. They argue the administration鈥檚 tactics violate the cities鈥 constitutional rights.
鈥淭he President cannot use federal funding as a weapon to force local governments to undermine public safety and their values and participate in his mass deportation efforts,鈥 said Oren Sellstrom, one of the cities鈥 attorneys. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 lawsuit seeks to protect sanctuary and welcoming cities, so they can continue to make public safety decisions that are in the best interests of their residents.鈥
The Trump administration has and lawmakers in at least 20 states have introduced bills .
The lawsuit comes as White House border czar Tom Homan recently called out Boston, which also has a sanctuary policy, for not helping federal officials with deportations.
Federal employees who have been working from home are returning to offices this week
That鈥檚 in accordance with .
Musk, who鈥檚 leading Trump鈥檚 scouring government agencies for suspected waste, said on his platform X on Monday: 鈥淪tarting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave.鈥
Lee Zeldin, Trump鈥檚 new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said Monday on X, formerly Twitter, 鈥淔ull time, COVID-era remote work is DONE under @POTUS leadership.鈥
Judge blocks two agencies from disclosing personal records to Musk鈥檚 DOGE
The judge ruled Monday that the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management likely violated the Privacy Act by disclosing people鈥檚 personal information to Musk鈥檚 without their consent.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland, said her decision to issue a temporary restraining order against the agencies doesn鈥檛 prevent Trump from 鈥渆ffectuating the administration鈥檚 policies.鈥
鈥淚t prevents the disclosure of the plaintiffs鈥 sensitive personal information to DOGE affiliates who, on the current record, do not have a need to know the information to perform their duties,鈥 she wrote.
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Trump administration cancels reading and math tests of 17-year-olds meant to study long-term trends
The Long-Term Trend Assessment is administered every four years for students who are ages 9, 13, and 17.
The test for 17-year-olds hasn鈥檛 been done since 2012 because of budget constraints. Its elimination will affect the collection of long-term data on how older students are progressing.
The tests are part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The Education Department said the cuts don鈥檛 affect the main NAEP assessments of fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders, which are given every two years and are known as 鈥渢he nation鈥檚 report card.鈥
A department spokesperson did not provide a reason for the cuts.
Macron has left the White House after meeting with Trump
Trump is set to hold a meeting Thursday with another key European leader, British Prime Minister .
Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries tells caucus members to join him on Capitol steps on Tuesday
He says the purpose of the event is to help Democrats give their perspective on the House Republican budget plan, which is expected to come up for a vote this week.
Jeffries says the plan would provide $4.5 trillion in tax breaks, explode the debt and end 鈥淢edicaid as we know it.鈥 And he鈥檚 asking members for 鈥渕aximum attendance鈥 this week.
鈥淲e must be at full strength to enhance our opportunity to stop the GOP Tax Scam in its tracks,鈥 Jeffries said in a letter to colleagues.
Republicans are trying to push through a plan that would give them the opportunity later this year to extend tax cuts enacted in 2017. They鈥檙e also aiming for $2 trillion in spending cuts over the course of a decade to help offset the impact on the national debt.
Trump鈥檚 Justice Department enforcer has been a frequent target of complaints about his conduct
Emil Bove is Trump鈥檚 chief enforcer at the Justice Department.
In just a month as the department鈥檚 acting No. 2 official, the little-known Bove has plowed through norms and niceties, in refusing his request to hand over the names of agents who investigated the on the U.S. Capitol or .
Earlier this month, for reasons unrelated to the strength of the case, upending decades of Justice Department norms.
The moves have spurred intense criticism from legal scholars and former prosecutors.
But Bove has brushed aside such concerns in a way that鈥檚 not at all surprising to many who knew him when he was litigating drug and terrorism cases as a federal prosecutor in New York City.
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Federal workers sue over Musk鈥檚 threat to fire them if they don鈥檛 explain their accomplishments
Attorneys for the federal workers said Monday in the lawsuit that Musk violated the law with his weekend demand that employees explain their accomplishments or risk being fired.
The updated lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California and was provided to the AP, is trying to block mass layoffs pursued by Musk and Trump, including any connected to the email distributed by the Office of Personnel Management on Saturday. The office, which functions as a human resources agency for the federal government, said employees needed to detail five things that they did last week by end of day Monday.
鈥淣o OPM rule, regulation, policy, or program has ever, in United States history, purported to require all federal workers to submit reports to OPM,鈥 said the amended complaint, which was filed on behalf of unions, businesses veterans, and conservation groups. It called the threat of mass firings 鈥渙ne of the most massive employment frauds in the history of this country.鈥
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The Associated Press
