Confusion and chaos loom as begin their workweek Monday from 鈥檚 cost-cutting chief, , to explain their recent accomplishments or risk losing their jobs.
Musk鈥檚 unusual demand has faced resistance from several key U.S. agencies led by the president鈥檚 loyalists 鈥� including the FBI, State Department, Homeland Security and the Pentagon 鈥� which instructed their employees over the weekend not to comply. Lawmakers in both parties said Musk鈥檚 mandate may be illegal, while unions are threatening to sue.
Here's the latest:
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 Associated Press 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 Elon 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 visiting French President Emmanuel 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�
罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 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 Associated Press.
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 President Trump and billionaire Elon 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 .
Billionaire Elon Musk, who鈥檚 leading 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 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, 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 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 Trump adviser Elon 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.
French President Emmanuel Macron has left the White House after meeting with Tump
Trump, a Republican, hosted Macron on Monday, the three-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. 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.
罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 Justice Department enforcer has been a frequent target of complaints about his conduct
Emil Bove is President 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 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 billionaire Trump adviser Elon 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 Associated Press, is trying to block mass layoffs pursued by Musk and President 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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Trump meets with French President Macron as uncertainty grows about US ties to Europe and Ukraine
President welcomed French President to the White House for talks Monday at a moment of deep uncertainty about the future of transatlantic relations, with Trump transforming American foreign policy and effectively tuning out European leadership as he looks to quickly end .
The two leaders were starting their day by taking part in a virtual meeting with fellow leaders of the Group of Seven economies to discuss the war.
Trump also has made demands for territory 鈥� , , and the 鈥� as well as from Ukraine. Just over a month into his second term, the president has cast an enormous shadow over what veteran U.S. diplomats and former government officials had regarded as America鈥檚 calming presence of global stability and continuity.
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The young techies behind DOGE are a lightning rod for criticism but also a youth magnet for the GOP
To those concerned about billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk鈥檚 access to sensitive government data, his tear-it-down band of young techies doing that work is an . The view on the right is much different.
Voices influential in conservative politics describe the crew of engineers, most of whom are in their early 20s, as among the world鈥檚 best minds sent to save the U.S. government from bureaucratic bloat.
It comes at a moment when young progressives have criticized the Democratic Party for and as the party鈥檚 hold on younger voters is slipping, particularly . Republicans are using the contrasting images as a marketing strategy.
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Fired federal workers hunt for new jobs but struggle to replace their old ones
Axed from jobs not easily found outside government, thousands of federal workers caught in President 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 cost-cutting efforts now face a difficult search for work.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e doing, say, vegetation sampling and prescribed fire as your main work, there aren鈥檛 many jobs,鈥� says Eric Anderson, 48, of Chicago, who was fired Feb. 14 from his job as a biological science technician at Indiana Dunes National Park.
All the years of work Anderson put in 鈥� the master鈥檚 degree, the urban forestry classes, the wildfire deployments 鈥� seemed to disappear in a single email dismissing him.
He鈥檚 hoping there鈥檚 a chance he鈥檚 called back, but if he isn鈥檛, he鈥檚 not sure what he鈥檒l do next. He was so consumed with his firing that he broke a molar from grinding his teeth. But he knows he鈥檚 caught in something larger than himself, as the new administration unfurls its chaotic cost-cutting agenda.
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Democratic governors balance whether to fight or pacify after Trump threatens one of their own
罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 over captured the conundrum many Democratic governors are facing in the Republican鈥檚 second term.
Gov. Janet Mills鈥� vow that she would see Trump in court over his threat to withhold money from the state if it didn鈥檛 comply with his executive order delighted Democrats who want more strident pushback. But the dust-up that played out in the open Friday as Trump hosted governors at the White House ticked off a president known to retaliate against people he considers enemies.
Hours after the spat, the federal Department of Education announced it was initiating an investigation into the Maine Department of Education over the inclusion of trans athletes. Trump doesn鈥檛 want them playing in girls and women鈥檚 sports; Maine law bars discrimination based on gender identity.
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鈥楧ark MAGA鈥� on display at CPAC as conservatives embrace Musk鈥檚 influence on Trump
At an annual gathering of conservative activists, the signature red 鈥� 鈥� hats popularized by were interspersed with a noticeable number of the black 鈥淒ark MAGA鈥� hats made popular by .
It was just one sign of Musk鈥檚 emerging influence and how the world鈥檚 wealthiest man 鈥� who once backed Democrats and 鈥� has become a conservative power center in his own right due to his connections to Trump.
Speakers at CPAC frequently brought up , playfully named after a meme coin with the face of a Shiba Inu dog popularized by Musk in 2021. They variously referred to him as a 鈥渨hite knight,鈥� a 鈥渉ero of free speech,鈥� and according to one of his harshest critics, , 鈥淪uperman.鈥�
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Ex-Secret Service agent and conservative media personality picked as FBI deputy director
, a former U.S. Secret Service agent who has penned best-selling books, ran unsuccessfully for office and gained fame as a conservative pundit with TV shows and a popular podcast, has been chosen to serve as FBI deputy director.
Trump announced the appointment Sunday night in a post on his Truth Social platform, praising Bongino as 鈥渁 man of incredible love and passion for our Country.鈥� He called the announcement 鈥済reat news for Law Enforcement and American Justice.鈥�
The selection places two staunch Trump allies atop the nation鈥檚 premier federal law enforcement agency at a time when Democrats are concerned that the president could seek to target his adversaries. Bongino would serve under Kash Patel, .
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Key federal agencies refuse to comply with Musk鈥檚 latest demand in his cost-cutting crusade
Confusion and chaos loom as hundreds of thousands of federal employees begin their workweek Monday from President Donald 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 cost-cutting chief, Elon Musk, to explain their recent accomplishments or risk losing their jobs.
Musk鈥檚 team sent an email to hundreds of thousands of federal employees Saturday giving them roughly 48 hours to report five specific things they had accomplished last week. In a separate message on X, Musk said any employee who failed to respond by the deadline 鈥� set in the email as 11:59 p.m. EST Monday 鈥� would lose their job.
Musk鈥檚 unusual demand has faced led by the president鈥檚 loyalists 鈥� including the FBI, State Department, Homeland Security and the Pentagon 鈥� which instructed their employees over the weekend not to comply. Lawmakers in both parties said that Musk鈥檚 mandate may be illegal, while unions are threatening to sue.
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The Associated Press
