Federal workers all over the country responded with anger and confusion Friday toward and his administration鈥檚 aggressive effort to of the by who have yet to qualify for civil service protections.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President said he will only agree to meet in person with Russian leader after with . Vice President JD Vance will meet with Zelenskyy later on for talks about how to negotiate a settlement to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Here's the latest:
AP reporter and photographer barred from Air Force One over 鈥楪ulf of Mexico鈥 terminology dispute
The White House barred a credentialed Associated Press reporter and photographer from boarding the presidential airplane Friday for a weekend trip with Trump, saying the news agency鈥檚 stance on how to refer to the Gulf of Mexico was to blame for the exclusion. It represented a significant escalation by the White House in a four-day dispute with the AP over access to the presidency.
The administration has blocked the AP from covering a handful of events at the White House this week. It鈥檚 all because the news outlet has not followed Trump鈥檚 lead in renaming the body of water, which lies partially outside U.S. territory, to the 鈥淕ulf of America.鈥
Journalists consider the administration鈥檚 move a violation of the U.S. Constitution鈥檚 First Amendment 鈥 a governmental attempt to dictate what a news company publishes under threat of retribution. The Trump administration says the AP has no special right of access to events where space is limited, particularly given the news service鈥檚 鈥渃ommitment to misinformation.鈥
AP calls that assertion entirely untrue.
鈥淔reedom of speech is a pillar of American democracy and a core value of the American people. The White House has said it supports these principles,鈥 AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said Friday night. 鈥淭he actions taken to restrict AP鈥檚 coverage of presidential events because of how we refer to a geographic location chip away at this important right enshrined in the U.S. Constitution for all Americans.鈥
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Judge hears arguments on case challenging Musk and DOGE鈥檚 authority
U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan heard arguments Friday in Washington on a restraining order request to stop Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency from accessing federal agencies鈥 data and initiating government layoffs.
Attorneys general from 14 states are challenging Musk and his DOGE team鈥檚 authority to access sensitive government data and exercise 鈥渧irtually unchecked power,鈥 citing constitutional provisions that delineate the powers of Congress and the president.
Chutkan made no immediate decision and asked plaintiffs to draft a proposed restraining order by Saturday evening.
鈥淥nce financial or other confidential data is made public you can鈥檛 un-ring that bell, you can鈥檛 get it back,鈥 Chutkan said.
Chutkan previously presided over Trump鈥檚 election interference case before it was dismissed.
Attorneys warned to keep things short and efficient in Trump lawsuit
A federal judge has offered a stern warning to attorneys challenging moves made by Trump鈥檚 administration: Don鈥檛 expect a hearing when a phone call will do.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes gave the verbal rebuke Friday to former U.S. Solicitor General Seth Waxman, who now is representing suing the Trump administration over their last month.
Waxman鈥檚 legal firm had filed an emergency motion asking that the inspectors general be reinstated to their positions at various federal agencies. The judge refused, instead setting an expedited briefing schedule for the case.
鈥淲hy on earth this could not have been handled with a five-minute phone call is beyond my comprehension,鈥 Reyes said.
She and her clerk have been 鈥渨orking around the clock on really monumental, time-sensitive issues,鈥 such as a lawsuit challenging Trump鈥檚 ban on transgender people in the military, she said.
More than 30 lawsuits against the Trump administration are pending in federal court in Washington.
Justice Department asks court to dismiss corruption charges against New York鈥檚 mayor
The Justice Department has formally asked a court to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor .
Acting Deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove and lawyers from the department鈥檚 public integrity section and criminal division in Washington filed paperwork seeking to end the case. A judge still has to sign off on the request.
The formal move to end the prosecution was expected, and it came after days of turmoil in the Justice Department. At least seven prosecutors in New York and Washington quit rather than carry out a directive to halt the case.
Among the people leaving were the interim U.S. attorney in Manhattan and a veteran prosecutor who worked on the Adams case, along with the acting chief of the public integrity section.
The Justice Department鈥檚 three-page motion sought to dismiss the case without prejudice, meaning the charges could be revived in the future.
Trump pushes to drive up domestic oil and gas production
Trump has signed an executive order formally creating a and directed it to move quickly to drive up already record-setting domestic oil and gas production.
Trump鈥檚 administration also announced it has granted conditional export authorization for a huge liquefied natural gas project in Louisiana, the first approval of new LNG exports since former a year ago.
And Trump said he has directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to undo on the East and West coasts. Biden鈥檚 last-minute action last month 鈥渧iciously took out鈥 more than 625 million acres (253 million hectares) offshore that could contribute to the nation鈥檚 鈥渘et worth,鈥 Trump said.
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鈥業t鈥檚 just been chaos鈥
David Rice, a disabled Army paratrooper who had been a probationary employee since joining the U.S. Department of Energy in September, found out Thursday night he had lost his job.
Rice, who worked as a foreign affairs specialist on health matters for the department relating to radiation exposure, said he had initially been led to believe that his job would be safe. But when he logged in for a meeting Thursday night, he saw an email saying he鈥檇 been fired.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just been chaos,鈥 said Rice, 50, who bought a house and moved to Melbourne, Florida, after getting the job.
Rice said he is in favor of making the government more efficient, but he鈥檚 frustrated with how it鈥檚 being done.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just random people, they鈥檙e probational people, getting fired for no reason other than the fact that they鈥檙e easier to let go,鈥 he said.
He also said he hopes people realize that government employees aren鈥檛 the bad guys.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just out here trying to do something that we actually believe in, that matters,鈥 Rice said.
Court order pauses any mass layoffs and data deletion at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The Trump administration agreed to halt any plans for mass layoffs, deletion of data or removal of funding from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The agreement was ordered by a judge after the employees鈥 union filed a lawsuit to prevent the agency鈥檚 dismantling. Their lawyers argued Friday that fast action was needed to prevent large-scale firings and deletion of its data.
The order will stay in place at least until March 3, when U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson will hear arguments in the case.
The administration has already ordered the CFPB to stop nearly all its work and closed its building.
The agency was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal.
鈥楴one of this has been done thoughtfully or carefully鈥
Nicholas Detter had been working in Kansas as a natural resource specialist, helping farmers reduce soil and water erosion, until he was fired by email late Thursday night.
That鈥檚 despite Detter, who had been employed by the Agriculture Department鈥檚 Natural Resources Conservation Service, agreeing to the administration鈥檚 deferred resignation program, under which he was supposed to be paid until Sept. 30 if he agreed to quit.
Detter responded to the letter accepting the deferred resignation, according to documents shared with The Associated Press. While his response was acknowledged, he never received the official agreement.
He said when the Trump administration first announced the deferred resignation program, he understood that it was part of an effort to improve the efficiency of the federal government, but he said 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not what this has been.鈥
鈥淣one of this has been done thoughtfully or carefully,鈥 he said
Detter said laying off workers like him will create backlogs in the program that was created in the wake of the 1930s Dust Bowl to try keep America鈥檚 farmland healthy and productive.
鈥業n order to help veterans, you just fired a veteran鈥
Among those impacted by the federal layoffs is Andrew Lennox, a 10-year Marine veteran who was working as a probationary employee at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
He received an email Thursday evening 鈥渙ut of the blue鈥 informing him that he was being terminated.
鈥淚n order to help veterans, you just fired a veteran,鈥 said Lennox, 35, a former USMC infantryman who was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
Lennox had been working as an administrative officer at the VA since mid-December and said he 鈥渨ould love nothing more鈥 than to continue the work.
鈥淭his is my family, and I would like to do this forever,鈥 he said.
In a post on its website, the VA announced the dismissal of more than 1,000 employees, saying the personnel moves 鈥渨ill save the department more than $98 million per year鈥 and be better equipped to help vets.
鈥淚 was like: 鈥榃hat about this one,鈥欌 Lennox said.
Anger, chaos and confusion take hold as federal workers face mass layoffs
Federal workers were responding with anger and confusion Friday as they grappled with the Trump administration鈥檚 latest effort to shrink the size of the federal workforce by ordering agencies to lay off probationary employees who have yet to qualify for civil service protections.
As layoff notices began to go out agency by agency this week, federal employees from Michigan to Florida were left reeling from being told that their services were no longer needed.
Many of those impacted say they had already accepted the administration鈥檚 deferred resignation offer, under which they were supposed to be paid until Sept. 30 if they agreed to quit. That left some wondering how many others who signed will nonetheless be fired.
The White House and Office of Personnel Management, which serves as a human resources department for the federal government, declined to say Friday how many probationary workers, who generally have less than a year on the job, have so far been dismissed.
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Victoria Canal to perform as scheduled at Kennedy Center after others canceled
Singer-songwriter Victoria Canal has decided to perform as scheduled at the Kennedy Center on Saturday, but she will donate all of her proceeds to Trans Equality Now.
Since Trump fired the board of directors and was elected board chair of the center, numerous officials and performers have quit or canceled appearances, including the actor Issa Rae.
In a statement issued Friday through her manager, Canal noted she had been recognized at the Kennedy Center during the Obama administration as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, a 鈥渕emory I still cherish.鈥
鈥淎fter learning about the changes in leadership at the Kennedy Center, including Trump becoming self-appointed Chairman, I was debating whether or not to perform,鈥 she said.
鈥淚 am a proud queer, Latina, disabled woman and ally to the unprotected and vulnerable trans community in the United States,鈥 she added. 鈥淚 figured if the new guys want to eliminate DEI, I鈥檒l let them decide to cancel the show if they want to 鈥 otherwise, see you February 15th.鈥
North Carolin
a State University freezes hiring over 鈥榰ncertain鈥 federal budget
NCSU is the state鈥檚 largest public university by population, with more than 38,400 students as of Fall 2024.
鈥淕iven the uncertain impacts of the presidential administration鈥檚 Executive Orders and guidance, the potential shut down of the federal government on March 14, and financial challenges that the state government is dealing with, leadership is becoming increasingly concerned with our budgets over the next year or two,鈥 Warwick Arden, the university鈥檚 executive vice chancellor, said in a memo to the university鈥檚 college deans and vice provosts.
Student workers, including graduate student appointments, and part-time employees are not a part of the hiring freeze, Arden said.
鈥淚 also encourage you to be conservative in the use of all your funds given the challenging financial climate we currently find ourselves in,鈥 Arden added.
Trump and Musk will jointly appear with Sean Hannity
The president and the billionaire will sit with the Fox News host next week, the network announced on Friday.
It鈥檚 their first televised sit-down together and comes as Musk leads Trump鈥檚 effort to slash the size and scope of the government, with efforts to freeze spending and fire federal workers proceeding in earnest.
New VA secretary plans 1,000-plus layoffs, promises no harm to veteran care or benefits
Top Republicans say they trust . Democrats have no such faith that cutting $98 million through dismissals won鈥檛 harm veterans.
鈥淚 take at his word when he says there will be no impact to the delivery of care, benefits, and services for veterans with this plan,鈥 said Rep. Mike Bost, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Veterans鈥 Affairs.
The ranking Democrat, Rep. Mark Takano, said the firings show a shocking disregard. The terminated include disabled veterans, military spouses and medical researchers.
Trump spoke to Britain鈥檚 prime minister, plans to meet soon
Trump said Keir Starmer asked during their phone call Thursday to visit him in the U.S., which he accepted.
鈥淔riendly meeting, very good. We have a lot of good things going on,鈥 he said.
No date was set, Trump said, but it could be next week or the week after.
Vance met with German far-right leader during visit to Munich, his office says
Alice Weidel is the co-leader and candidate for chancellor of the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party.
Vance met Weidel during a visit to Munich on Friday, nine days before a German election, in which he lectured European leaders about the state of democracy and said there is no place for 鈥渇irewalls.鈥
Mainstream German parties say they won鈥檛 work with the party, which polls put in second place ahead of the Feb. 23 election.
Trump order targets schools and colleges mandating COVID-19 vaccines
Schools, colleges and states that require immunizations against COVID-19 may risk of losing federal money under an executive order President Donald Trump signed Friday.
It should have little national impact: Most schools have dropped such mandates. And it isn鈥檛 clear what money is at risk.
Candidate Trump often said he would 鈥渘ot give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate,鈥 but this order applies only to COVID-19 vaccines.
All states require schoolchildren to be vaccinated against certain diseases including measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough and chickenpox. And all allow exemptions for certain medical or religious reasons.
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Trump denied knowing about handling of NYC mayor鈥檚 case and then opined
The president was asked by a reporter at the White House about the prosecutors resigning over the Justice Department鈥檚 push to drop the criminal case against New York City鈥檚 mayor.
鈥淚 know nothing about the individual case. I know that they didn鈥檛 feel that it was much of a case,鈥 Trump said.
鈥淚t looked to me to be very political,鈥 he added, and questioned why the prosecutors didn鈥檛 complain weeks earlier, though the prosecutors began raising objections this week when instructed to drop the case.
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Another prosecutor resigns with Justice Department in turmoil over NYC mayor鈥檚 case
Prosecutor Hagan Scotten is at least the seventh to resign rather than follow Trump administration orders in the corruption case.
Scotten told on Friday it would take a 鈥渇ool鈥 or a 鈥渃oward鈥 to meet to drop the charges.
Bove told prosecutors that Mayor Eric Adams is needed to support the administration鈥檚 immigration enforcement and that the charges could be reinstated after this year鈥檚 mayoral election.
A Special Forces troop commander in Iraq who graduated at the top of his Harvard Law class and clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts, Scotton : 鈥淣o system of ordered liberty can allow the Government to use the carrot of dismissing charges, or the stick of threatening to bring them again, to induce an elected official to support its policy objectives.鈥
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The art of the deal? Ukraine鈥檚 president says peace with Russia depends on Trump
appealed to in seeking the U.S. president鈥檚 leadership to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
鈥淗e is a strong man. And if he will choose our side, and if he will not be in the middle, I think he will pressure and he will push Putin to stop the war. He can do it,鈥 Zelenskyy said.
said, 鈥淧resident Trump will be the one at the table with Zelenskyy and Putin,鈥 and he expects Putin to claim victory 鈥漬o matter what.鈥
鈥淚 think everyone will try to come out of this situation as winners,鈥 Zelensky acknowledged. 鈥淭he United States wants victory. want this victory very much, you understand. And Ukraine 鈥 it deserves it, that鈥檚 all.鈥
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Second federal judge pauses Trump鈥檚 order against gender-affirming care for youth
A second federal judge on Friday paused Trump鈥檚 executive order for gender-affirming care for transgender youth under 19.
U.S. District Court Judge Lauren King granted a temporary restraining order after the Democratic attorneys general of Washington state, Oregon and Minnesota last week. Three doctors joined as plaintiffs in the suit, which was filed in the Western District of Washington.
The decision came one day after a federal judge in Baltimore in response to a separate lawsuit filed on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children.
Judge Brendan Hurson鈥檚 temporary restraining order will last 14 days but could be extended, and essentially puts Trump鈥檚 directive on hold while the case proceeds. Hurston and King were both appointed by former President Joe Biden.
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Veteran budget hawks give mixed reviews on Musk鈥檚 progress
The Associated Press interviewed four such conservatives about Musk鈥檚 effort to slash the federal workforce and disfavored programs.
Some point to early successes. Others see DOGE stoking outrage without targeting the biggest spending: defense spending and programs with bipartisan support like Medicare and Social Security.
The DOGE website claims at least $5.6 billion in savings so far 鈥 a tiny fraction of Musk鈥檚 initial goal of $2 trillion.
鈥淭his thing has paid for itself many times over now,鈥 said Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Relief.
But Manhattan Institute senior fellow Jessica Riedl said: 鈥淪o far, DOGE seems more about looking for symbolic culture war savings than truly reducing the budget deficit in any meaningful way.鈥
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New Ag secretary promises layoffs at her agency
鈥淐learly it鈥檚 a new day,鈥 new Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters outside the White House.
She said Trump鈥檚 winning back the presidency shows the American people 鈥渂elieve that government was too big.鈥
Rollins said Elon Musk鈥檚 government efficiency team was working at her agency and that it had already canceled some contracts and nearly 1,000 employee trainings related to diversity, equality and inclusion.
Rollins also said she鈥檇 welcome input from the Department of Government Efficiency on the nation鈥檚 food stamp program.
Trump鈥檚 government layoffs could affect economic numbers
Trump鈥檚 mass layoffs of federal workers and spending freezes could come back to bite him in the economic data.
The monthly jobs reports could start to show a slowdown in hiring, if not go negative at some point after the February numbers are released. The last time the economy lost jobs during a month was in December 2020, when the United States was still muscling its way out of the coronavirus pandemic.
鈥淥verall, it doesn鈥檛 seem that DOGE has managed to actually cut spending substantively yet 鈥 instead they鈥檝e just created chaos,鈥 said Martha Gimbel, executive director of the Budget Lab at Yale University. She noted that employers that rely on government grants and contracts would also show declines in hiring, if not worse.
鈥淕iven everything that is happening in the federal government, it is very plausible that job growth could turn negative at some point,鈥 Gimbel said. 鈥淏ut it may take a few more reports for the impact to show up.鈥
Trump鈥檚 new tariffs are being felt on Broadway
The Golden Theatre marquee for the new musical is dark because special light bulbs ordered to spell out the show鈥檚 title are stuck in China, said Rick Miramontez, president of DKC/O&M and a spokesman for the show.
Thousands of the ceramic yellow LED bulbs by Satco were meant to arrive in early February, in time to install them for Saturday鈥檚 first preview. Now the show on the Great White Way, named after Broadway鈥檚 famous theater lights, will have to welcome theatergoers with a blank space.
On Feb. 1, from China, which led the country to quickly implement retaliatory tariffs on select American imports.
The bulbs have apparently been caught in the contest. The ad agency in charge of the marquee was told March would be the earliest they鈥檇 arrive.
Ukraine wants 鈥榮ecurity guarantees鈥 as Trump seeks to end Ukraine-Russia war, Zelenskyy says
Zelenskyy made his remarks Friday during a meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance. The two met at the Munich Security Conference.
Many observers, particularly in Europe, are hoping Vance will shed at least some light on U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 ideas for a negotiated settlement to the war.
European ministers hit back against Vance鈥檚 complaints about the state of their democracies
German defense minister Boris Pistorius said U.S. Vice President comparison of Europe to 鈥渦gly Soviet-era鈥 authoritarianism was unacceptable.
Vance lectured European governments about free speech nine days before Germany鈥檚 election, accusing them of hostility to the idea that 鈥渟omebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election.鈥
Pistorius countered that Germany鈥檚 right-wing AfD party can campaign completely normally, and 鈥渄emocracy doesn鈥檛 mean that the loud minority is automatically right.鈥
鈥淒emocracy must be able to defend itself against the extremists who want to destroy it,鈥 Pistorius said.
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Democrats tell White House that firing USAID鈥檚 top watchdog was illegal
Two senior Senate Democrats are asking President Donald Trump to reinstate the top watchdog for the U.S. Agency for International Development, calling his firing illegal.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the foreign affairs committee, and Gary Peters, the top Democrat on the homeland security committee, wrote Trump saying the firing of Inspector General Paul Martin without justification appeared to be an act of retaliation.
Martin鈥檚 office had released a report the day before warning that dismantling USAID had all but eliminated proper oversight for billions of dollars in unspent humanitarian funds.
Shaheen and Peters say the law requires 30 days notice to Congress and a reason.
Study: Excluding people in the US illegally from Census results wouldn鈥檛 impact party power
Republicans to exclude people in the U.S. illegally from the numbers used to portion out congressional seats among the states. But a new study suggests their inclusion has had little impact on presidential elections or control of Congress.
If residents lacking permanent legal status had been excluded from the apportionment process from 1980 to 2020, no more than two House seats and three Electoral College votes would have shifted between Democrats and Republicans, according to demographers from the University of Minnesota and the Center for Migration Studies of New York.
鈥淭his would have had no bearing on party control of the House or the outcome of presidential elections,鈥 they wrote.
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Viktor Orb谩n predicts Trump will bring Russia back into Western fold after end of Ukraine war
Hungary鈥檚 nationalist prime minister said Trump鈥檚 administration will reconnect Russia with Europe鈥檚 economies and energy networks if the ends.
鈥淭he United States has initiated a change that puts the whole Western world鈥檚 system of arguments, value system, and way of thinking on a new track,鈥 Orb谩n said on Hungary鈥檚 state radio. 鈥淭his process is progressing much faster than many people thought. We call this the Trump tornado.鈥
Hungary, unlike most European countries, continues to rely on Russian oil and gas. Orb谩n predicted the European Union will 鈥渇all apart鈥 if energy prices aren鈥檛 brought down.
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Zelenskyy says he will only agree to meet with Putin after common plan with Trump is negotiated
During the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy said he would only agree to meet in person with Russian leader Vladimir Putin after a common plan is negotiated with U.S. President Trump.
He also said he believes Trump is the key to ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and that the U.S. president had given him his cellphone number.
Trump envoy Richard Grenell says he might run for California governor if Kamala Harris runs
Grenell, currently working on special projects for Trump, suggested he鈥檇 be interested in the 2026 race to succeed Democrat Gavin Newsom if the former vice president throws her hat in the ring.
鈥淚f Kamala Harris runs for governor, I believe that she has such baggage 鈥 that it鈥檚 a new day in California, and that the Republican actually has a shot,鈥 Grenell told reporters. 鈥淎nd I wouldn鈥檛 say no.鈥
Grenell spoke after taking part in Vice President JD Vance鈥檚 meetings with world leaders in Munich.
Harris hasn鈥檛 publicly expressed an interest in the governor鈥檚 race, but would be a heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination.
Federal workers rally against government-wide layoffs
A large group of federal workers and labor activists rallied in Washington Friday morning against the layoffs.
Many wore masks to protect their identities, for fear of reprisal from the administration. One carried an enormous silver spoon covered in aluminum foil, in reference to the 鈥淔ork in the Road鈥 letter informing federal workers of government-wide buyouts.
One rally-goer who identified himself as Jeff, held a 鈥淣o One Voted for Elon Musk鈥 sign. He said Democrats should be more forceful, saying 鈥淲e can鈥檛 fight illegality with legality.鈥
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Zelenskyy calls for US and Europe to band together to support Ukraine in war against Russia
Zelenskyy spoke Friday at the Munich Security Conference, saying that the United States, including the Biden administration, never saw Ukraine as a NATO member.
He is expected to meet later with U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Trump has upended years of steadfast U.S. support for Ukraine. Many observers, particularly in Europe, hope Vance will shed at least some light on Trump鈥檚 ideas for a negotiated settlement to the war following a phone call between Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week.
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CDC to lose one-tenth of workforce under Trump administration job cuts
Nearly 1,300 probationary employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 鈥 roughly one-tenth of the agency鈥檚 workforce 鈥 are being forced out under the Trump administration鈥檚 move to .
The Atlanta-based agency鈥檚 leadership was notified of the decision on Friday morning. The verbal notice came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a meeting with CDC leaders, according to a federal official who was at the meeting. The official was not authorized to discuss it and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The affected employees are supposed to receive four weeks of paid administrative leave, the official said, adding that it wasn鈥檛 clear when individual workers would receive notice.
With a $9.2 billion core budget, the CDC is charged with protecting Americans from outbreaks and other public health threats. Before the cuts, the agency had about 13,000 employees, including more than 2,000 staff work in other countries.
JD Vance: 鈥業n Washington, there is a new sheriff in town鈥
The vice president warned Europe鈥檚 elected officials that they risk losing public support if they don鈥檛 quickly change course.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e running in fear of your own voters there鈥檚 nothing America can do for you,鈥 he told the Munich security conference.
Vance鈥檚 speech made just a passing mention of the 3-year-old at a time of over the Trump administration鈥檚 foreign policy.
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Treasury watchdog begins audit of Musk DOGE team鈥檚 access to federal government鈥檚 payment system
The Treasury Department鈥檚 Office of Inspector General said it was launching an audit of the security controls for the federal government鈥檚 payment system after Democratic senators raised red flags about to Trump aide Elon Musk鈥檚 Department of Government Efficiency team.
The audit will also review the past two years of the system鈥檚 transactions as it relates to Musk鈥檚 assertion of 鈥渁lleged fraudulent payments,鈥 according to a letter from Loren J. Sciurba, Treasury鈥檚 deputy inspector general, that was obtained by The Associated Press.
The audit marks part of the broader effort led by Democratic lawmakers and federal employee unions to provide transparency and accountability about under President Donald Trump鈥檚 Republican administration. The Musk team has pushed for access to the government鈥檚 computer systems and sought to remove tens of thousands of federal workers.
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Education Department cuts over $300 million in contracts to help schools apply best practices
The Trump administration is cutting $336 million in contracts designed to help schools and states adopt best practices in the classroom.
An Education Department news release said officials uncovered 鈥渨asteful and ideologically driven spending鈥 at 10 regional centers hired to help schools apply research such as 鈥渆quity audits.鈥
The department said it plans to open new contracts to replace the Regional Educational Laboratories. They were ordered by Congress in 1965 and are still required under federal law, with a mission to support school policies that improve student outcomes.
Trump officials also cut four contracts for equity service centers totaling $33 million. Without providing evidence, the department said the centers supported 鈥渄ivisive training in DEI, Critical Race Theory and gender identity.鈥
鈥楶ower of Europe and America in the world鈥 at stake in Russia-Ukraine talks
Vance met separately with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and said NATO members must spend more on their militaries.
Vance told Rutte that the Trump administration wants to ensure 鈥渢hat NATO does a little bit more burden sharing in Europe, so the United States can focus on some of our challenges in East Asia.鈥
Rutte agreed: 鈥淲e have to grow up in that sense and spend much more.鈥
Steinmeier told the conference that how exactly the Russia-Ukraine war ends 鈥渨ill have a lasting influence on our security order and on the position of power of Europe and America in the world.鈥
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The Associated Press
