Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

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Judge removes key legal hurdle for Trump’s plan to trim federal workforce with deferred resignations A federal judge on Wednesday removed a key legal hurdle stalling President Donald Trump’s plan to downsize the federal workforce with a deferred resignation program. The Boston-based judge’s order in the challenge filed by a group of labor unions was a significant legal victory for the Republican president after a string of courtroom setbacks. Read more.

Key points:  About 75,000 federal workers accepted the offer to quit in return for being paid until Sept. 30, according to McLaurine Pinover, a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management. She said the deferred resignation program “provides generous benefits so federal workers can plan for their futures,” and it was now closed to additional workers. U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. in Boston found that the unions weren’t directly affected, so they didn’t have legal standing to challenge the program, commonly described as a buyout.   "But it’s not the end of that fight. Importantly, this decision did not address the underlying lawfulness of the program,” American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley said in a statement.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Elon Musk calls for US government to ‘delete entire agencies’   Government watchdogs fired by Trump sue his administration and ask a judge to reinstate them   Oil and gas advocate nominated by Trump to lead agency that manages federal lands   Trump’s pick for education chief seeks approval to lead agency she would be asked to tear down   House Republicans unveil blueprint to extend $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and lift the debt ceiling   As DOGE hammers away at the US government, Republicans stir with quiet objections   2 top ICE officials are reassigned amid Trump administration frustrations over immigration arrests   FACT FOCUS: FEMA funding to New York City to assist migrants is misrepresented   Christian aid groups receive millions in USAID funds. Now their humanitarian work is collapsing   Dismissed EEOC commissioner warns that Trump plans to ‘erase the existence of trans people’   White House says it has the right to punish AP reporters over Gulf naming dispute   Texas county approves holding election to make SpaceX’s Starbase its own city

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How Many Trump Officials Have Taken Money From Qatar?

Oversight laws about foreign influence were already limited. Now the Trump administration is shredding them.

https://theintercept.com/2025/02/11/trump-qatar-ethics-patel-zeldin-bondi/?

Pentagon Official: Hegseth’s Campaign to Scrub DEI History Is a “Dumb” Distraction

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is trying to eliminate all Defense Department DEI efforts. It hasn’t been entirely successful.

https://theintercept.com/2025/02/12/pete-hegseth-military-trump-diversity/?

Trump Is Bullying Jordan and Egypt to Help in Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza. It Isn’t Working.

Even with Jordan and Egypt refusing to take in expelled Palestinians, Trump is charging on with his real estate development plan.

https://theintercept.com/2025/02/11/trump-jordan-egypt-gaza-palestinians/?

JUST IN: Senate confirms RFK Jr. as secretary of Department of Health and Human Services

The Senate voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, a victory for President Donald Trump after Kennedy faced intense scrutiny over his controversial views on vaccines and public health policy.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-tariffs-usaid-ice-rfk-02-13-25?

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Banks get their deregulator. Trump’s new pick to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is Jonathan McKernan — who as a banking regulator recently tried to stop stricter scrutiny of bank consolidation because he said the proposed policy “reflect(s) a bias against bank mergers.” Before that, McKernan worked as a financial policy advisor to Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.), a leading critic of the CFPB who sponsored legislation to block class-action lawsuits against banks and other corporations, just before he was given a board seat at a private equity firm. 

The many downsides of mergers. For the last few years, the CFPB has warned of the dangers of bank mergers — and for good reasons. Data show bank mergers create behemoths that are more likely to fail, and they result in more branch closures, higher fees, and reduced financial services. Bank mergers kill local competition, making it harder for small businesses to get loans. In poorer neighborhoods, the void is often filled by payday lenders and other predatory cash-loan services.

Bank lobbyists rejoice, and probably so do MAGA billionaires. The banking industry’s chief lobby group has been touting the possibility of accelerated bank mergers this year, and on Wednesday said it was “hopeful that McKernan’s nomination marks an important turning point for the Bureau.” McKernan’s anti-regulatory posture is also a welcome sign for Trump’s tech allies like Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen whose new business ventures would be more aggressively policed by a more assertive CFPB.

STAT OF THE DAY

$3.1 trillion

The cumulative wealth of the 19 richest people in America.

 

 

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Trump 2.0: Confirmed Cabinet so far

President Trump's Cabinet and West Wing picks are slowly but steadily gaining confirmation less than a month into his term, though at least a dozen still await a Senate vote.

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/04/trump-cabinet-confirmed-members-confirmation-votes?

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Trump spending freeze sticks Iowa farmers with millions in bills for conservation work

President Donald Trump’s freeze on federal spending has stuck hundreds of farmers in Iowa and across the Midwest with millions of dollars in bills for conservation work they carried out under programs to help improve the region’s soil health and water quality.

https://local.newsbreak.com/iowa-state/3811799268057-trump-spending-freeze-sticks-iowa-farmers-with-millions-in-bills-for-conservation-work?

ps:What does he care? It doesn't hurt him and his billionaire cronies!!!!!

Trump signs a plan for reciprocal tariffs on US trading partners, ushering in economic uncertainty

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday rolled out his plan to increase U.S. tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports, possibly triggering a broader economic confrontation with allies and rivals alike as he hopes to eliminate any trade imbalances.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-reciprocal-imports-tax-trade-economy-54c0a26687dc96157d96229068894720?

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Order to drop New York Mayor Adams’ case roils Justice Department as high-ranking officials resign

NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, and five high-ranking Justice Department officials resigned Thursday after she refused an order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams — a stunning escalation in a dayslong standoff over the Trump administration prioritizing political aims over criminal culpability.

https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-us-attorney-0395055315864924a3a5cc9a808f76fd?

ps:This is what a true Republican and Conservative looks like! Doing the right thing!!

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Trump’s call with Putin ends U.S. efforts to isolate Russia

MOSCOW (AP) — By saying Ukraine’s NATO membership is “impractical” and the return of Russian-occupied territories to Kyiv is “illusionary,” the Trump administration is giving its blessing to key items on President Vladimir Putin’s wish list — even before a potential settlement of the conflict.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-trump-putin-ukraine-war-32f3b815693df3485b086e647d2e26f7?

Trump the producer

As President Trump nears his term's one-month mark next week, a White House adviser is keeping a calendar tracking daily wins, losses and "jump balls" — and loves the result so far, Axios' Marc Caputo reports.

• Why it matters: Insiders tell us Trump, who came into office feeling ebullient and empowered, is just getting more confident — fueled by his expected clean sweep of Cabinet confirmations, plus a CBS News poll showing 53% approval amid his aggressive "flood the zone" opening actions.

?️ The big picture: The midterm map has gotten more favorable for the GOP with the retirement announcements yesterday by Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and by Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) a week into Trump's term — two more hot battleground seats for Dems to defend in an already tough cycle.

Privately, there's an undercurrent of worry in Trumpworld that political gravity could weigh him down — especially if inflation rises. The looming debt ceiling and government-funding fights could be messy.

• For now, it's foot ... on ... gas. White House communications director Steven Cheung posted a photo of eight news channels simultaneously showing this week's Oval Office colloquy by Trump and Elon Musk and labeled it: "FULL SPECTRUM DOMINANCE."

? Behind the scenes: "Trump is reborn," a confidant who spoke with Trump by phone told Caputo.

• "Normally, a big part of the conversation is the 'Russia hoax' and stuff like that," the confidant said. "It's gone. Now it's: 'Did you see the CBS poll?' Or it's: 'This person is saying nice things about me.' He feels totally vindicated."

? A highlight of Trump's week was Russia's release of imprisoned Pennsylvania teacher Marc Fogel, who was flown from Moscow straight to D.C. Fogel met the president on the South Lawn late Tuesday night — an American flag draped around his neck and an Iron City Beer in his hand.

• The cameras captured it all. "This is Trump the Producer," another confidant told us.

Elon Musk gives a thumbs-up next to Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick (left) and White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller during yesterday's Oval Office visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

? Reality check: Offscreen, it's much messier — sometimes intended, sometimes not — as Trump and Elon Musk race to reshape Washington and reset American foreign policy.

• Six senior Justice Department officials, including Manhattan's top federal prosecutor, resigned yesterday rather than comply with a Justice Department order to dismiss corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. (Reuters)
• As layoffs swept the bureaucracy, thousands of workers "were laid off in messages delivered through prerecorded videos and on group calls," The Washington Post reports. "Some were ordered to leave the building within 30 minutes. Others were told they would be formally fired by emails, which never arrived."
• The Small Business Administration listed a paralegal phone number for laid-off employees to appeal their termination — but the number was an automated line for an apartment building. (WP)
• There's much more to come: Musk told the World Governments Summit in Dubai via teleconference that the U.S. needs to "delete entire agencies — many of them." (Video)
• A "climate of fear" hit the Kennedy Center as Trump was installed as the chair, succeeding David Rubenstein, and some upcoming shows vanished from the lineup. (WP)
• NATO reels: The world's biggest military alliance is in disarray amid new questions about America's commitment to European security after remarks this week by Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (AP)
• "Trump's Whirlwind Now Blows Through Europe," the N.Y. Times' David E. Sanger writes (gift link), pointing to Trump's tariffs, statements on Ukraine by Trump and Hegseth, and Vice President Vance's "America First" AI speech in Paris.

The bottom line: Look for the maximalist Trump to accelerate as more of his confirmed officials ramp up.

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? Swing voters to Trump: Keep it coming

Every Arizona swing voter in our latest Engagious/Sago focus group said they approve of President Trump's actions since taking office — and most also support Elon Musk's efforts to slash government, Axios' Erin Doherty and Margaret Talev write.

• Why it matters: Public opinion can constrain presidents when Congress does not. But these 11 voters — all of whom backed Joe Biden in 2020 but switched to Trump last November — said they're good with Trump aggressively testing disruptive, expansionist expressions of presidential power that are piling up in court challenges.

It's needed to "get America back on track," one participant said.

? What we're watching: One notable area of disagreement with Trump is the idea of the U.S. displacing Palestinians and taking over and redeveloping Gaza. These swing voters want Trump to stick with Americans' needs inside the U.S.

• Some would like to see him do more, sooner, to rein in consumer costs. But several said they don't mind that Trump's early actions haven't primarily focused on inflation.

Trump border arrests appear to lag Biden finale

U.S. agents arrested more than 21,000 unauthorized immigrants in November as President Biden's term wound down — a pace the Trump administration doesn't appear to be matching in its first month despite its crackdown, Axios' Russell Contreras and Brittany Gibson write from new data.

• Why it matters: Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, says about 14,000 immigrants have been arrested in the three-plus weeks since President Trump took office.

? A possible reason Trump's arrest rate isn't matching Biden's: The publicity surrounding the new president's tough talk on immigration has fueled a dramatic dip in the number of people trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

• Homan said this week that illegal border crossings have dropped 92% since Trump took office.

? The big picture: The Trump administration, through social media posts, has suggested U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested about 8,500 immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally during Trump's first two weeks in office.

• But Trump's team has stopped giving daily ICE updates since Feb. 4. The administration also isn't releasing details on arrests by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.

? By the numbers: ICE arrested more than 7,500 immigrants in November. The CBP arrested more than 13,500 that month as waves of immigrants tried to cross the border, according to federal data collected by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).

• TRAC collects immigration data via Open Records Act requests.
• A total of 21,130 people arrested by the agencies were booked into detention sites across the country in November, the data show.

The intrigue: Homan told WABC radio in New York on Tuesday that of the 14,000 or so immigrants arrested since Trump took office, the "vast majority have criminal histories."

• Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said Homan's arrest estimate was just for those by ICE.

Reality check: Federal numbers in recent years have shown that fewer than 1% of people with deportation orders had been convicted of dangerous crimes.

• About 60% of the 39,152 people held in ICE detention as of Dec. 29 had no criminal record, according to TRAC.

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Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come The Trump administration on Thursday intensified its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the nation’s largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection. Read more.

Why this matters: The decision on probationary workers, who generally have less than a year on the job, came from the Office of Personnel Management, which serves as a human resources department for the federal government. According to the most recent government data available, as of March 2024 220,000 workers had less than a year on the job.   Elon Musk, whom President Trump has given wide leeway to slash government spending with his Department of Government Efficiency, called Thursday for the elimination of whole agencies.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Judge orders Trump administration to temporarily allow funds for foreign aid to flow again   More than a dozen state attorneys general challenge Musk and DOGE’s authority   Order to drop New York Mayor Adams’ case roils Justice Dept. as high-ranking officials resign   Brooke Rollins confirmed as Trump’s agriculture secretary as tariff fights loom   Trump settles suit against Elon Musk’s X over his post-Jan. 6 ban   State Department halts plan to buy $400M worth of armored vehicles from Musk’s Tesla   US hits international court’s top prosecutor with sanctions after Trump’s order   Biden’s EPA issued $20 billion in green grants. Trump’s administration wants that money back   Federal judge pauses President Trump’s order restricting gender-affirming care for trans youth   US Park Service erases the word ‘transgender’ from website commemorating Stonewall riot   Alaska US senators introduce bill that would again designate North America’s tallest peak as Denali   WATCH: Trump slams McConnell for RFK Jr. vote, calling him 'bitter' and questions his childhood polio   DeSantis signs sweeping immigration bills after a feud with Florida Republicans

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Takeaways from the Modi and Trump meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about easing tariffs, resolving trade issues and shoring up defense ties in a meeting at the White House on Thursday. Read more.

Why this matters: Trade and tariffs issues figured extensively in the meeting. Trump said New Delhi will not be spared and said the import levies imposed by India are “very unfair and strong.” But he and Modi agreed to work on a deal to resolve trade concerns, which Modi said he expects to be completed later this year.   Trump said the U.S. will increase its military sales to India and eventually provide F-35 stealth fighter jets.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ White House blocks AP reporter from Trump-Modi news conference over Gulf of Mexico fight   Elon Musk met with Modi during the Indian prime minister’s US visit. What does he want from India?

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How Trump’s Federal Funding and Hiring Freezes Are Leaving America Vulnerable to Catastrophic Wildfire

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to shrink the federal government, launched as the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires burned across Los Angeles, have left the country’s wildland firefighting force unprepared for the rapidly approaching wildfire season.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-funding-freeze-wildfire-season?

Civil war inside DOJ

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Getty Images At least seven federal prosecutors have resigned over the last 48 hours rather than accept an order to dismiss corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, Axios' Dave Lawler and Sareen Habeshian report. Why it matters: This has been perhaps the most dramatic battle yet between the Trump loyalists taking the reins across Washington and the civil servants attempting to hold the line against alleged overreach. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove pulled several DOJ prosecutors into a room today and threatened to fire them all if one didn't file the dismissal within an hour, Reuters reports. One prosecutor agreed to do so under duress, per Reuters. The DOJ declined to comment. U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon resigned yesterday rather than comply with Bove's order. Bove argued that clearing the charges would allow Adams to comply with Trump's immigration policies. Sassoon — who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia and is a member of the conservative Federalist Society — skewered those political motivations in a lengthy resignation letter. Sassoon was far from alone. John Keller, the acting chief of the DOJ's Public Integrity Section, and Kevin Driscoll, the acting head of its criminal division, also swiftly resigned. At least four more resignations followed — including that of Hagan Scotten, an assistant U.S. attorney with the Southern District of New York. "No 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," Scotten wrote in his resignation letter, which quickly went viral. "If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me." Read the resignation letter ...

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Hegseth stands by Ukraine comments as GOP senator slams "rookie mistake"

WARSAW -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doubled down on remarks he made at NATO this week about the terms of a potential Ukraine-Russia peace deal, saying his job was simply to "introduce realism to the conversation."

https://www.axios.com/2025/02/14/hegseth-ukraine-trump-russia-putin-nato?

US bird flu response disrupted in early weeks of Trump administration, sources say

Feb 14 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has disrupted the U.S. response to bird flu as the outbreak worsens, leading to confusion and concern among federal staff, state officials, veterinarians and health experts, 11 sources told Reuters.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-bird-flu-response-disrupted-early-weeks-trump-administration-sources-say-2025-02-14/?

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Prosecutors formally ask judge to dismiss public corruption case against New York City mayor

The Justice Department formally asked a New York federal judge this evening to drop the public corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, ending a days-long standoff between DOJ leadership and career prosecutors who refused to sign their names on the dismissal.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-tariffs-usaid-ice-ukraine-02-14-25?

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Trump strangles Europe

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

WARSAW — President Trump stunned, strangled and humiliated Europe — leaving America's closest continental ally dazed and dumbfounded. That was over the course of three short days this week, reports Axios' Zachary Basu, traveling with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Poland. ? The big picture: No amount of "Trump-proofing" could have prepared Europe for the MAGA-shaped hurricane that swept across the continent this week, wreaking torrential havoc on America's closest allies. Trump left NATO and Ukraine reeling with his initiation of direct peace talks with Russia, without Ukraine fully in the loop or other European leaders even in the conversation. Hegseth perplexed and perturbed allies on his first visit to NATO by seemingly taking some of Ukraine's bargaining chips off the table before those talks began. He also demanded that Europe take ownership of its own defense so the U.S. could focus on the more urgent threat from China. Back at home, Trump announced "reciprocal" tariffs on every country that imposes import duties on the U.S., likely affecting $600 billion worth of goods from the EU. And at a global AI summit in Paris on Tuesday, Vice President Vance torched the EU's "excessive regulation of the AI sector" and "hand-wringing about safety," and left the conference without signing its joint declaration. Lead stories of London papers today: The Times, The Daily Telegraph. In Vance's remarks to the Munich Security Conference yesterday, things got particularly personal: "[T]he threat that I worry the most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, it's not China, it's not any other external actor," Vance began in one of his first major speeches on the world stage. "What I worry about is the threat from within. The retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values: values shared with the United States of America." ? What came next left conference attendees silent, stunned and steaming. Vance called European Union officials "commissars" — a reference to the Soviet Union — and accused them of censoring their citizens in the name of fighting disinformation and hate speech online. He excoriated Romania for annulling the results of its Nov. 24 election, in which an obscure ultranationalist candidate rocketed to first place after a TikTok campaign that intelligence services linked to Russia. He condemned the convictions of a British man who prayed outside an abortion clinic, and of a Swedish man who participated in Quran burnings that led to his friend's murder. And he said that of all the challenges Europe faces, there's "nothing more urgent than mass migration" — tying Thursday's terrorist attack in Munich to a "series of conscious decisions" by European politicians. The bottom line: No one could ever mistake Trump for a great supporter of Europe, which he once said "treats us worse than China." But whether it's threatening to annex Greenland from Denmark, or picking Saudi Arabia as the mediator for Russia-Ukraine talks, the second Trump term could mean twilight for the transatlantic relationship.

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Trump Official Destroying USAID Secretly Met With Christian Nationalists Abroad in Defiance of U.S. Policy

Now one of the most powerful people in the U.S. government, Peter Marocco’s turbulent tenure during the first Trump administration sheds light on his current efforts to dismantle the American foreign aid system from the inside out.

https://www.propublica.org/article/usaid-peter-marocco-state-department-bosnia-serbia-diplomacy-trump-foreign-policy?

? Trump's good cop

President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, is the congenial dealmaker for the very brash dealmaker-in-chief.

• Witkoff has an expanding portfolio that now includes Trump's biggest geopolitical challenge — negotiating a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine as part of a controversial reset of U.S. foreign policy.

Why it matters: Trump's cage-rattling agenda — which has shocked European allies — is a keystone of his second term. He'll rely heavily on Witkoff, a billionaire real estate investor and friend for 40 years, to make it happen, Axios' Alex Isenstadt, Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report.

? Zoom in: Associates describe Witkoff, 67, as something of a velvet glove when it comes to negotiating — smooth and to the point.

• He helped persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to release U.S. teacher Marc Fogel on Monday, after talks in Moscow.
• He played a key role in getting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire-and-hostage deal with Hamas last month.
• He's also Trump's point man for talks the president wants to have with Iran to try to reach a new nuclear deal later this year, U.S. officials say.

? Between the lines: Witkoff's negotiating tactics are rooted in his experience as a New York real estate mogul, according to those who know him.

• They say Witkoff knows when to employ charm, which he prefers, and when to apply pressure that can channel Trump's intimidating demeanor.
• "The president sees Steve as one of the world's great dealmakers," said one White House official. "Game respects game."

Israeli officials who worked with Witkoff on the Gaza ceasefire deal described him as energetic and informal. Witkoff even came to some negotiation sessions in Doha wearing sweatpants, a sweatshirt and sneakers.

• Witkoff's energy "was a key factor that led to the deal," an Israeli official said.

Reality check: Israeli and Arab officials told Axios that Witkoff still needs to become more knowledgeable about the Middle East — the different players and the historical and emotional sensitivities that underpin conflicts there.

• Concerns about the U.S. trying to impose a shortsighted policy in Gaza have heightened amid Trump's call for Palestinians to be removed from war-torn Gaza and relocated permanently to Jordan and Egypt — a plan few see as remotely workable.

Keep reading.

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? What they're saying

Via Truth Social The single sentence above, which President Trump posted yesterday on his social media channels, "appears to encapsulate his attitude as he tests the nation's legal and constitutional boundaries in the process of upending the federal government and punishing his perceived enemies," the N.Y. Times' Maggie Haberman, Charlie Savage and Jonathan Swan write (gift link). Why it matters: Trump, the reporters note, "through his words and actions, has repeatedly suggested that surviving two assassination attempts is evidence that he has divine backing to enforce his will." ? Napoleonic echo: In the 1970 film "Waterloo," a similar line is delivered by Rod Steiger starring as Napoleon Bonaparte — the French general who crowned himself emperor. ("He who saves a nation violates no law.") Watch the clip. Via X   ? New tariff math     Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios   President Trump said yesterday the U.S. will treat value added tax (VAT) systems in other countries the same as tariffs when calculating the reciprocal levies on other countries he ordered earlier this week. ? Why it matters: At least 175 countries have a VAT. So that could change the math on any reciprocal tariff for most nations around the world, Axios managing editor Ben Berkowitz writes. The European Union, which has standardized value added taxes with an average rate of almost 22%, could be hit hardest. ⚡ Catch up quick: This follows a memo Trump issued Thursday, ordering trade officials to study assessing reciprocal tariffs on any country that levies the import of U.S. goods at a higher rate than the U.S. charges that country's goods. When he signed the memo, Trump told reporters he felt VATs were worse than tariffs. That immediately sparked fears of a trade war with Europe, particularly given Trump's recent promises to eventually target the EU with tariffs Tax analysts generally argue that the European VAT isn't much of a burden on U.S. exporters. How VAT works.

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Trump moves with dizzying speed on his to-do list. But there are warning signs in his first month

As President Donald Trump approaches the first-month mark in his second term, he has moved with dizzying speed and blunt force to reorder American social and political norms and the economy while redefining the U.S. role in the world. Here’s a look at the first four weeks. Read more.   US presented Ukraine with a document to access its minerals but offered almost nothing in return Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he directed his ministers not to sign off on a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals because the document was too focused on U.S. interests. Zelenskyy’s decision not to accept the proposal, at least for now, was described as “short-sighted” by a senior White House official. Read more.  ps:They're going to hang him out to dry!!   Some in Hurricane Helene-ravaged North Carolina embrace Trump’s push to abolish FEMA SWANNANOA, N.C. (AP) — Emily Russell remembers feeling hopeful after she managed to get an appointment with the Federal Emergency Management Agency not long after Hurricane Helene ripped though her home in Swannanoa, North Carolina. https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-fema-north-carolina-trump-disasters-2b22a4943f4621d8704108d71e1386d1?

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Justice Department’s independence is threatened as Trump’s team asserts power over cases and staff

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pam Bondi had insisted at her Senate confirmation hearing that as attorney general, her Justice Department would not “play politics.”

https://apnews.com/article/fbi-justice-department-trump-bondi-bove-adams-a003af9d9aebe89cd289361a65c9401b?

IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season, according to two sources familiar with the agency’s plans, and cuts could happen as soon as next week.

https://apnews.com/article/irs-treasury-layoffs-doge-tax-season-2be8db11fdd510b7ce6ac0db56f9a503?

AP reporter and photographer barred from Air Force One over ‘Gulf of Mexico’ terminology dispute

The White House barred a credentialed Associated Press reporter and photographer from boarding the presidential airplane Friday for a weekend trip with Donald Trump, saying the news agency’s 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.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-ap-news-ban-air-force-one-b90b8b842d63aef9960ccffb4a657dc2?

Constitutional Crisis Looms

Less than a month into Donald Trump’s second term, his administration’s aggressive restructuring of the government and flirtation with defying court rulings threaten to spark a constitutional crisis. “He could have done all of that lawfully, and instead what he’s done is testing the limits of his power in a way we have never seen in this country,” says retired federal Judge Nancy Gertner.

https://theintercept.com/2025/02/14/podcast-trump-constitution-courts-checks-balances/?

Trump Is Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud: Federal Prisons Are Purposely Inhumane

Attorney General Pam Bondi issued last week several memos to all Department of Justice employees including one with the subject: “Reviving the Federal Death Penalty and Lifting the Moratorium on Federal Executions.” It detailed exactly how her agency will put into practice an executive order to restart federal executions that President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office.

https://theintercept.com/2025/02/16/trump-pam-bondi-death-penalty-executions-prisons/?

Democrats Swear They’ll Fight Elon Musk. But What About the Cash They Took From SpaceX?

There’s a pesky fact for congressional Democrats crying foul about Elon Musk’s hostile takeover of the U.S. government: Many of them took campaign cash from a Musk company PAC.

https://theintercept.com/2025/02/14/democrats-elon-musk-spacex-donations/?

Federal firings

Less than three weeks after a deadly midair collision over Washington, DC, hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration employees are being fired. The FAA is the latest critical government agency impacted by widespread job cuts in the federal workforce. Many of the probationary employees being terminated include those who maintain radio and computer systems and develop new flight procedures. The firings do not include air traffic controllers, who are in short supply amid a decadeslong staffing shortage. Officials have set their sights on probationary workers, typically employed for less than a year, because they have fewer job protections and lack the right to appeal.

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The Trump administration tries to bring back fired nuclear weapons workers The Trump administration has halted the firings of hundreds of federal employees who were tasked with working on the nation’s nuclear weapons programs, in a reversal that has left workers confused and experts cautioning that DOGE’s blind cost cutting will put communities at risk. Read more.

What to know: Three U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off late Thursday. One of the hardest hit offices was the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, which saw about 30% of the cuts. Those employees work on reassembling warheads, one of the most sensitive jobs across the nuclear weapons enterprise, with the highest levels of clearance.   By late Friday night, the agency’s acting director, Teresa Robbins, issued a memo rescinding the firings for all but 28 of those hundreds of fired staff members. The NNSA staff who had been reinstated could not all be reached after they were fired, and some were reconsidering whether to return to work, given the uncertainty created by DOGE. Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the firings could create a sense of instability over the nuclear program both at home and abroad.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to let the firing of whistleblower agency head proceed   DOGE gets mixed reviews from conservatives who have long wanted major budget cuts   Trump administration cuts reach FDA employees in food safety, medical devices and tobacco products   Dismantling of federal efforts to monitor election interference creates opening for foreign meddling   Consumer watchdog agency called ‘vicious’ by Trump seen as a ‘hero’ to many it aided   Justice Department fires 20 immigration judges from backlogged courts amid major government cuts   ‘Waste, fraud and abuse’ is a political fight older than the nation. Here’s what to know   Trump Media says it lost more than $400 million last year   Trump’s reciprocal tariffs will overturn decades of trade policy   As Trump administration reforms the EPA, cleanups of America’s most toxic sites are uncertain   Your immigration questions answered: What has changed under Trump, what hasn’t and what’s next

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Scoop: Why Trump targets AP

One of the big reasons President Trump is limiting AP reporters' White House access is to protest what aides see as years of liberal word choices that the wire service's influential stylebook spread across mainstream media, top White House officials tell Axios' Marc Caputo.

• Why it matters: The trigger was the announcement by The Associated Press that it would continue using the 400-year-old "Gulf of Mexico" rather than switch to "Gulf of America," as declared by Trump in a Day 1 executive order. But it turns out that broader underlying grievances made AP a target.

? The big picture: By spotlighting AP, Trump is amplifying Republican and conservative criticisms that the AP Stylebook, a first reference for most U.S. news organizations, shapes political dialogue by favoring liberal words and phrases concerning gender, immigration, race and law enforcement.

• "This isn't just about the Gulf of America," White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich told Axios. "This is about AP weaponizing language through their stylebook to push a partisan worldview in contrast with the traditional and deeply held beliefs of many Americans and many people around the world."
• The dispute with AP is part of Trump's broader effort to discredit legacy media outlets and the public's trust in the press — already at a record low.

? The other side: AP — which has long been considered the gold standard of neutrality — rejects any accusation of bias. Lauren Easton, vice president of corporate communications, told Axios that AP "is a global, fact-based, nonpartisan news organization with thousands of customers around the world who span the political spectrum."

• "If AP journalism wasn't factual and nonpartisan, this wouldn't be the case," she said.
• Easton said AP provides "guidance on issues brought to us by members and customers, and it is up to them what they choose to use. Again, this is guidance. It's not surprising that political parties, organizations or even individuals may disagree with some entries. The Stylebook doesn't align with any particular agenda."

✈️ State of play: After barring AP reporters from covering several events with Trump last week, the White House said Friday that because the wire service "continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America," AP slots in the Oval Office and on Air Force One "will now be opened up" to other reporters.

• An AP reporter and photographer were blocked Friday from boarding Air Force One for Trump's weekend trip to Florida.
• The White House said AP journalists "will retain their credentials to the White House complex."

?️ The backstory: AP said in its Jan. 23 "style guidance," released proactively to guide members and customers, that it will refer to the gulf "by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences."

• AP said in the same announcement that it'll follow Trump's executive order returning the name of Alaska's Mount McKinley, which had been changed to Denali in 2015. AP's logic: The peak is solely within the U.S., and "Trump has the authority to change federal geographical names."

Behind the scenes: Five days after AP issued its guidance concerning the gulf name change, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt held her first briefing, and foreshadowed the fight the White House would pick with legacy media.

• "Karoline said she would not lie and that she would call out media organizations who do lie," a Trump adviser said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "And we knew the AP would keep calling the Gulf of America the Gulf of Mexico, and that's misinformation."

?️ To attract maximum attention to his change, Trump signed an order in front of reporters on Air Force One as he flew over the Gulf en route to the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, declaring the "first ever Gulf of America Day."

• Two days later, the White House blocked an AP reporter from an Oval Office event.

? Zoom out: Trump allies — including Mike Cernovich, a leading MAGA influencer on X — began attracting the attention of the president's advisers by highlighting longstanding complaints with AP's stylebook guidance. Among the AP guidance that rankles conservatives:

• Warning against "all views" in transgender coverage: AP's "Transgender Coverage Topical Guide" says to avoid "false balance — giving a platform to unqualified claims or sources in the guise of balancing a story by including all views."
• Using the phrase "gender-affirming care": AP says the term, commonly used by advocates and physicians, refers to "a swath of mental and medical treatments (such as counseling, hormones or surgery) that help bring a person's gender expression (such as voice, appearance or anatomy) in line with their gender identity."
• Capitalizing Black but not white for race: AP's stylebook advises that "Black" should be used for racial descriptions while the lowercase "black" is considered just a color. AP says "white people's skin color plays into systemic inequalities and injustices, and we want our journalism to robustly explore those problems. But capitalizing the term white, as is done by white supremacists, risks subtly conveying legitimacy to such beliefs." AP notes that white people "generally do not share the same history and culture, or the experience of being discriminated against because of skin color."
• Describing immigrants: The Stylebook frowns on the term "illegal immigrant" and says to "use illegal only to refer to an action, not a person: illegal immigration, but not illegal immigrant."

The Axios position: We've taken a different approach than many media companies, based on serving primarily a U.S. audience. The government, plus Apple Maps and Google Maps, call it the Gulf of America. For clarity, we call it the "Gulf of America (renamed by the U.S. from Gulf of Mexico)."

• "At the same time," Axios said in a statement Friday, "the government should never dictate how any news organization makes editorial decisions. The AP and all news organizations should be free to report as they see fit."

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• ? Four more New York City officials have resigned over the Justice Department's move to dismiss Eric Adams' corruption case in an apparent exchange for the mayor's assistance with President Trump's deportation plans, The New York Times reports. The officials include first deputy mayor Maria Torres-Springer and deputy mayors Meera Joshi, Anne Williams-Isom and Chauncey Parker. (There are eight deputy mayors at City Hall.)
• ?️ President Trump tapped conservative activist Ed Martin, an election denier who has defended Jan. 6 rioters, to be interim U.S. attorney for D.C. Go deeper.

 

? 1,000 words

Secretary of State Marco Rubio signs a guestbook while visiting the Saudi Foreign Ministry in Riyadh yesterday. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters President Trump's top foreign policy officials are meeting in Saudi Arabia today with Russian officials about improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. Why it matters: It's the most significant meeting between the sides since Moscow's invasion of its neighbor nearly three years ago. Rubio is flanked by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (left) and White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz during a meeting with Saudi and Russian officials today in Riyadh. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters The talks mark a pivotal step by the Trump administration to reverse U.S. policy on isolating Russia — and are meant to pave the way for a meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin. Get the latest.

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Trump Vowed to Clean Up Washington, Then His Team Hired a Man Who Pushed a Scam the IRS Called the “Worst of the Worst”

Even as he has vowed to eliminate “every dollar of waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal budget and operations,” the new acting administrator of the General Services Administration, Stephen Ehikian, has appointed a senior adviser whose firm used to specialize in tax transactions that a bipartisan Senate committee excoriated and that the IRS branded as “abusive” and among “the worst of the worst tax scams.” The adviser has been battling the tax agency in court over $4 billion in disallowed deductions for thousands of his clients.

https://www.propublica.org/article/frank-schuler-gsa-doge-syndicated-conservation-easements-tax-scam?

“We’ve Been Essentially Muzzled”: Department of Education Halts Thousands of Civil Rights Investigations Under Trump

In the three-and-a-half weeks since Donald Trump returned to the presidency, investigations by the agency that handles allegations of civil rights violations in the nation’s schools and colleges have ground to a halt.

https://www.propublica.org/article/department-of-education-civil-rights-office-investigations?

Poll: Majority of Floridians don’t support changing the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America’

A Florida Republican’s proposal to update all references in state statutes from “the Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” per President Trump’s executive order may be a homerun with MAGA supporters, but it’s not popular with most Floridians, according to a new public opinion survey released Tuesday.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/02/18/poll-majority-of-floridians-dont-support-changing-the-gulf-of-mexico-to-the-gulf-of-america/?

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Republicans worry GOP-led states will suffer from Trump’s firings of federal workers

WASHINGTON — Some Republicans are raising concerns about how reducing the federal workforce by potentially hundreds of thousands of people and canceling spending approved by Congress will affect the country — especially the regions filled with loyal GOP voters.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/02/17/repub/republicans-worry-gop-led-states-will-suffer-from-trumps-firings-of-federal-workers/?

Legal fight with Trump over special counsel firing escalated to U.S. Supreme Court

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold his firing of the head of the independent federal agency tasked with protecting government whistleblowers.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/02/17/repub/legal-fight-with-trump-over-special-counsel-firing-escalated-to-u-s-supreme-court/?

Trump administration fires 20 immigration judges, amid mass dismissals of federal workers

WASHINGTON — Despite a backlog of nearly 3.7 million cases in U.S. immigration court, the Trump administration has fired 20 immigration judges without an explanation, according to a union representing federal workers.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/02/17/repub/trump-administration-fires-20-immigration-judges-amid-mass-dismissals-of-federal-workers/?

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A collection of USAID funding rumors, fact-checked

With a promise to end "waste, fraud and abuse" within the agency, the Trump administration has made various claims about its past spending.

In February 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration moved to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), citing the overseas aid agency's alleged "waste" and "abuse" of federal funding. 

The administration reportedly planned to place thousands of the agency's employees on leave and attempted to shut down funding for many of its programs. As of this writing, federal judges have issued orders to temporarily pause those actions.. 

Meanwhile, various rumors about how USAID has spent taxpayers' money spread online. A sampling of them is below. 

For instance, Snopes fact-checked allegations that USAID funded a "transgender comic book in Peru" (false) and funneled $84 million to Chelsea Clinton (also false). The newsroom also analyzed how much USAID money went toward Starlink, a division of billionaire Elon Musk's space technology company, among other claims. 

https://www.snopes.com/collections/trump-usaid-funding/?

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Judge blocks mass layoffs at consumer protection agency targeted by Trump

The Trump administration has agreed to pause layoffs and funding cuts at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, the federal agency responsible for cracking down on “junk” fees and answering consumer complaints in the finance industry. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/02/16/layoffs-halted-cfpb-consumer-watchdog-musk-trump/78871464007/

Trump administration gives schools a deadline to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is giving America’s schools and universities two weeks to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal money, raising the stakes in the president’s fight against “ wokeness.”

https://apnews.com/article/dei-critical-race-theory-colleges-diversity-db8317ad37931558dd5a396cf5ab3d42?