Trump sued by USAID workers union after slashing thousands of jobs from government agency: Live

Unions representing United States Agency for International Development workers are suing Donald Trump and his administration following an unprecedented attack against the global aid agency, which supports dozens of life-saving missions in more than 100 countries.

Thousands of USAID employees are imminently expected to lose their jobs as Trump’s administration, with Elon Musk’s guidance, makes visceral cuts across government agencies.

This comes as Trump signed an executive order issuing sanctions against the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The president signed the order on Thursday, accusing the ICC of "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”

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The order puts visa and financial sanctions on people working on ICC probes of U.S. citizens or allies.

Meanwhile, Trump’s government buyout offer has been temporarily blocked, giving hundreds of thousands of federal workers more time to decide to take eight months of pay in exchange for their resignation or early retirement.

Earlier on Thursday, the president delivered a meandering address to the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C., at which he said his life was saved by God during last year’s assassination attempt and bizarrely compared the state of air traffic control to golf balls flying across a driving range when discussing last week’s tragic plane crash over the Potomac.

Key Points

Trump sued by USAID workers union for shutting down global aid agency: ‘Profound moral stain’

02:21 , Alex Woodward

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Unions representing United States Agency for International Development workers are suing Donald Trump and his administration following an unprecedented attack against the global aid agency, which supports dozens of life-saving missions in more than 100 countries.

Thousands of USAID employees are imminently expected to lose their jobs as Trump’s administration, with Elon Musk’s guidance, makes visceral cuts across government agencies.

A lawsuit filed by government employee unions on Thursday seeks to block Trump’s “unconstitutional and illegal actions” that “have systematically dismantled” the agency, creating a “humanitarian crisis” and imperiling national security while jeopardizing thousands of jobs.

Read more:

Government workers union sues Trump for shutting down USAID

Judge accuses Trump of ‘ignoring’ law in stunning rebuke of birthright citizenship order

02:00 , Oliver O'Connell

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A federal judge has once again blocked Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to redefine the constitution’s birthright citizenship clause, delivering a powerful rebuke from the bench to accuse the president of treating the rule of law as “impediment to his policy goals.”

District Judge John C. Coughenour, who was appointed by Ronald Reagan, issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday that blocks the order from taking effect nationally while the legal case plays out in Washington state.

Alex Woodward reports on the latest developments.

Judge accuses Trump of ‘ignoring’ law in rebuke of birthright citizenship order

Two universities face probes in Trump crackdown on transgender athletes

01:30 , AP

The Trump administration is investigating potential civil rights violations at two universities and a high school sports league that allowed transgender athletes to compete on women's teams, the Education Department said Thursday.

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The agency is opening reviews at San Jose State University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Read on...

San Jose State and Penn face inquiries in Trump crackdown on transgender athletes

Indiana looks to add 33 counties from Illinois that voted to leave the state

01:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Indiana has looked at adding 33 counties from Illinois that signaled they want to leave the state - which could lead to whole new maps of the U.S.

Indiana House Republicans have listed embracing the counties from neighboring Illinois as one of their top 2025 legislative session priorities. House Speaker Todd Huston said Thursday that Republicans are considering the proposal after roughly a third of counties in the Prairie state voted to break away.

If successful, it will drastically alter the map for Illinoisans.

Rhian Lubin reports.

Indiana looks to add 33 counties from Illinois that voted to leave the state

Senate confirms Russell Vought as White House budget director

00:43 , Gustaf Kilander

The Senate has confirmed Russell Vought as the next head of the Office of Management and Budget after a vote along party lines.

Democrats were unified in their opposition to Vought, noting his connections to Project 2025.

They have also criticized his willingness to cut programs that help the middle class and his rejection of the 2020 election results.

AOC claps back after MAGAworld runs wild with claims she is worth $30 million

00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fiercely pushed back on allegations that she uses her political position for monetary gain as well as a longtime false accusation that she is a multimillionaire.

MAGA-backers on the internet have been going wild with claims the New York rep for parts of Queens and the Bronx is worth $30 million despite being paid a congressional salary of just $174,000 per year.

Ariana Baio has the story.

AOC claps back after MAGAworld runs wild with claims she is worth $30 million

Trump announces sanctions on International Criminal Court for ‘targeting’ U.S. and Israel

00:07 , Gustaf Kilander

President Donald Trump has announced sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its supposed “targeting” of the U.S. and Israel.

Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, accusing the ICC of "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”

The order puts visa and financial sanctions on people working on ICC probes of U.S. citizens or allies.

Read more:

Trump announces sanctions on International Criminal Court for ‘targeting’ US, Israel

ICYMI: Google becomes the latest tech giant to fall in line with Trump

00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Google has ditched its diverse hiring targets in the wake of President Donald Trump’s order to put an end to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order directing the termination of all “radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing” in the federal government. Google, a federal contractor, has now become the latest tech company to change its practices, joining the likes of Meta and Amazon.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Google becomes latest tech giant to fall in line with Trump by ending DEI policies

NCAA changes transgender policy

Thursday 6 February 2025 23:30 , AP

The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes on Thursday, limiting competition in women's sports to athletes assigned female at birth only.

The move came one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. The order gives federal agencies latitude to withhold federal funding from entities that do not abide by Title IX in alignment with the Trump administration’s view, which interprets “sex” as the gender someone was assigned at birth.

Read on...

NCAA changes transgender policy to limit women's competition to athletes assigned female at birth

DOGE subcommittee announces first hearing

Thursday 6 February 2025 23:10 , Oliver O'Connell

The House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) will hold its first hearing on February 12 at 10 a.m.

Environmentalists sue after feds allows new drilling permits in San Joaquin Valley

Thursday 6 February 2025 23:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A slew of health and environmental groups are suing the Bureau of Land Management over its approval of permits for new oil and gas drilling on Central California’s public lands - which is home to some of the country’s most polluted cities.

A complaint filed in the U.S. Eastern District Court of California claims that the federal agency’s decision is at the expense of public health, the environment and the law. It adds that the bureau had never analyzed the harms of its good approvals on nearby communities.

Julia Musto reports.

Environmental groups sue over California oil and gas permits

Republican’s wild claim that US spent ‘$15 million for condoms for the Taliban’ stuns CNN anchor

Thursday 6 February 2025 22:50 , Oliver O'Connell

CNN anchor Boris Sanchez was left flabbergasted when a Republican member of the Congressional DOGE Caucus repeatedly insisted that the United States had set aside millions of dollars in foreign aid to purchase condoms for the Taliban.

Justin Baragona has the story.

CNN anchor stunned by GOP rep’s claim that US spent millions on condoms for Taliban

Trump imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court

Thursday 6 February 2025 22:43 , Oliver O'Connell

President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized economic and travel sanctions against individuals involved in International Criminal Court investigations of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies, including Israel, reiterating an action he took during his first term.

The move coincides with a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, along with his former defense minister and a leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, is wanted by the ICC for the war in the Gaza Strip.

It remains unclear how quickly the U.S. will announce the names of those sanctioned. During the first Trump administration in 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides in response to the ICC's investigation into alleged war crimes by American troops in Afghanistan.

The ICC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The sanctions include freezing any U.S. assets of the designated individuals and prohibiting them and their families from entering the United States.

With reporting from Reuters

Watch: Trump mocks Biden for signing with Hollywood talent agency

Thursday 6 February 2025 22:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump mocks Biden for signing with Hollywood talent agency: 'You got to be kidding’

Americans stockpile eggs as stores are left with empty shelves amid bird flu outbreaks

Thursday 6 February 2025 22:30 , Oliver O'Connell

With fewer shells on shelves, customers are scrambling for new ways to get their egg fix.

Due to the bird flu outbreak, there are millions fewer hens, meaning way fewer eggs. Frustrated shoppers across the country have even started posting videos of empty shelves where eggs once lay.

Kelly Rissman reports.

Americans stockpile eggs as stores are left with empty shelves amid bird flu outbreak

Trump's view on transgender athletes resonates among some candidates running for IOC president

Thursday 6 February 2025 22:20 , AP

Whether to allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports already was a key debate among Olympic leaders before U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that puts pressure on them before the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

In a speech before signing the document on Wednesday, Trump said he wants the International Olympic Committee to change everything “having to do with this absolutely ridiculous subject.”

Outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach, who had a tense meeting with Trump during his first term in the White House, has avoided taking a strong stance on the subject, but many of the seven candidates running to replace him this year have.

Continue reading...

Trump's view on transgender athletes resonates among some candidates running for IOC president

Full story: Staffer for Musk’s DOGE resigns over racist social media posts

Thursday 6 February 2025 22:05 , Oliver O'Connell

One of the two staffers for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency who was granted access to the US Treasury’s sensitive payment system has resigned from his post after the White House was asked about his history of racist social media posts, including advocating for repealing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Marko Elez, a 25-year-old programmer who was brought into government service by the world’s wealthiest man, had a profile on X (formerly Twitter), the social media site owned by Musk, featuring posts in which he said he supported a “eugenic immigration policy” and made other racist statements.

Andrew Feinberg has the latest from Washington, D.C.

Staffer for Musk’s DOGE quits over racist social media posts that advocated eugenics

Report: USAID to be hacked from 14,000 workers to just 294 as Trump team shreds humanitarian agency

Thursday 6 February 2025 21:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Only 294 employees with the United States Agency for International Development have been deemed essential among 14,000 global staff members, according to CBS News.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly said that crucial health and humanitarian aid will continue, following threats from Donald Trump and Elon Musk to dissolve the entire agency, but the administration intends to decimate its size, including limiting staff to only 12 people in Africa.

Alex Woodward is following this developing story...

USAID workforce to be slashed to just 294 employees: report

Trump signs order reviewing federal funding to NGOs, official says

Thursday 6 February 2025 21:51 , Reuters

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive memo ordering a review of funding to all non-government organizations that rely on federal dollars, a White House official said.

Trump praised activist as inspiration for anti-Christian bias task force — she used chains to block abortion clinic

Thursday 6 February 2025 21:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump announced on Thursday the attorney general will lead a task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias,” including in the justice system.

During remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast laying out the idea for the effort, the president cited the example of Paulette Harlow, whom he described as having been arrested for praying outside an abortion clinic.

This dramatically understates the accusations against Harlow, who Trump pardoned last month along with other anti-abortion activists.

Josh Marcus has the details.

Christian activist who inspired Trump anti-bias task force blocked abortion clinic

Johnson-Netanyahu meeting off

Thursday 6 February 2025 21:37 , Oliver O'Connell

The meeting between Speaker Mike Johnson and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly off as Johnson is still at the White House trying to hammer out the details of a reconciliation bill to push through President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Trump AG disbands sanctions task force targeting Russian oligarchs

Thursday 6 February 2025 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is disbanding an effort initiated after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine aimed at enforcing sanctions and targeting oligarchs close to the Kremlin.

A memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi, issued on Wednesday amid a flurry of orders on her first day in office but not previously reported, stated that the initiative, known as Task Force KleptoCapture, will conclude as part of a shift in focus and funding toward combating drug cartels and international crime gangs.

“This policy requires a fundamental change in mindset and approach,” Bondi wrote in the directive, adding that resources now devoted to enforcing sanctions and seizing the assets of oligarchs will be redirected to countering cartels.

Launched during the Biden administration, the effort aimed to strain the finances of wealthy associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin and to punish those facilitating sanctions and export control violations.

It formed part of a broader initiative to exclude Russia from global markets and to enforce extensive sanctions imposed on Moscow in response to widespread international condemnation of its war in Ukraine.

Prosecutors assigned to the task force will return to their previous positions. The changes will remain in effect for at least 90 days before a decision is made on their permanence.

Trump has talked about improving relations with Moscow and promised to end the war in Ukraine. A detailed plan of how he expects to do that is yet to emerge.

The focus on drug cartels follows Trump's designation of many such groups as terrorist organizations as part of his crackdown on illegal migrants and fentanyl trafficking.

With reporting from Reuters

DOGE staffer resigns over racist social media posts

Thursday 6 February 2025 21:23 , Oliver O'Connell

A staff member for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, whose access to U.S. Treasury payment systems was approved by a federal judge on Thursday, has ties to a deleted social media account that promoted racism and eugenics.

Per The Wall Street Journal:

The 25-year-old employee, Marko Elez, resigned Thursday after The Wall Street Journal asked the White House about his connection to the account.

The deleted profile associated with Elez, who was embedded in the Treasury Department to carry out efficiency measures, advocated repealing the Civil Rights Act and backed a “eugenic immigration policy” in the weeks before President Trump was inaugurated.

“You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity,” the account wrote on X in September, according to a Wall Street Journal review of archived posts. “Normalize Indian hate,” the account wrote the same month, in reference to a post noting the prevalence of people from India in Silicon Valley.

Reality star hopes for Trump pardon, says guards removed MAGA sticker from jail cell

Thursday 6 February 2025 21:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Todd Chrisley’s attorney has claimed that guards at FPC Pensacola removed a MAGA (Make America Great Again) sticker from the disgraced reality star’s cell.

Chrisley’s lawyer, Jay Surgent, told TMZ on Wednesday that the Chrisley Knows Best star — who is currently serving a 12-year sentence in Florida — that Chrisley is hopeful that President Donald Trump will soon grant him a pardon.

Brittany Miller has the story.

Todd Chrisley says prison guards removed his MAGA sticker from jail cell

Noem to visit Guatanamo

Thursday 6 February 2025 21:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem plans to visit the migrant detention site in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as the Trump administration ramps up enforcement efforts, a department spokesperson said on Thursday.

The first group of about 10 migrants was sent to Guantanamo on a military aircraft on Tuesday. A second flight departed the U.S. on Thursday, the official said.

Questions remain about the legality of the deportations to the site and whether detainees will have access to lawyers.

Watch: Trump brags about private plane during prayer breakfast

Thursday 6 February 2025 21:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Full story: Trump’s resignation offers blocked by judge hours before buyouts set to expire

Thursday 6 February 2025 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s government buyout offer, giving hundreds of thousands of federal workers more time to decide to take eight months of pay in exchange for their resignation or early retirement.

Hoping to reduce the workforce by 5 to 10 percent, the Office of Personnel Management sent an email, entitled “Fork in the Road,” to much of the federal workforce – with some exceptions – last week offering to pay them through September 30 if they agreed to resign by Thursday.

However, hours before the original deadline was set to expire, District Judge George O'Toole Jr. temporarily blocked it, saying the court needed time to review the legality offer.

Ariana Baio reports.

Trump’s buyout offers are blocked by judge hours before deadline

Lawsuit filed challenging Trump's ban on transgender military service

Thursday 6 February 2025 20:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Trump administration’s ban on military service by transgender individuals.

Read the full court filing here

Six active-duty transgender service members have already filed a separate lawsuit in Washington, D.C.

“This discriminatory ban is a threat to our national security, wastes years of training and financial investments, and is unconstitutional,” said Sarah Warbelow, vice president of legal, Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

“Thousands of transgender servicemembers have already met the military’s rigorous standards and more than proven themselves. Our military must be able to recruit the best candidates, retain the highly-trained servicemembers, and every qualified patriot should be able to serve free of discrimination. Thank you to the courageous plaintiffs who have already sacrificed so much for this country, and now are fighting to continue their service in the face of a cruel and dangerous ban.”

“This ban not only wrongfully prevents patriotic, talented Americans from serving, it also compromises the safety and security of our country,” said Sasha Buchert, counsel and nonbinary and transgender rights project director, at Lambda Legal. “Thousands of current service members are transgender, and many have been serving courageously and successfully in the U.S. military. Once again attacking a vulnerable population based on bias, political opportunism, and demonstrably untrue ‘alternative facts,’ President Trump is seeking to deny courageous transgender people the opportunity to serve our country. He’s got to get through us first.”

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of US Navy Commander Emily “Hawking” Shilling; US Navy Commander Blake Dremann; US Navy Lieutenant Commander Geirid Morgan; US Army Sergeant First Class Cathrine “Katie” Schmidt; US Army Sergeant First Class Jane Doe; US Air Force Staff Sergeant Videl Leins; and Matthew Medina, a transgender person seeking to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.

All the service members have nearly two decades of service.

After Trump DEI order, Army Women’s Museum website ‘temporarily offline’

Thursday 6 February 2025 20:40 , Oliver O'Connell

The U.S. Army Women’s Museum’s website is the latest to be taken down following Donald Trump’s anti-DEI executive order.

On Monday, instead of images showcasing the achievements of military women, a bold red banner appeared on the site’s homepage stating: “The Army Women’s Website is temporarily offline.”

Museum officials pulled the site to comply with a recent presidential action as it undergoes additional content review, an Army spokesperson told The Independent.

Michelle Del Rey reports.

Army Women’s Museum website ‘temporarily offline’ over Trump’s anti-DEI order

Elon Musk mural in Texas defaced with haunting message

Thursday 6 February 2025 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

A vandal targeted a Texas mural depicting X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk by scrawling the words "deny, defend, depose" across his face.

The mural is located in Brownsville, which is 24 miles west of Musk's SpaceX launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

Graig Graziosi has the story.

Elon Musk mural in Texas defaced with haunting message

Watch: Rubio says Trump offered to be part of solution in Gaza, other countries could step up

Thursday 6 February 2025 20:09 , Oliver O'Connell

ICYMI: Trump says he’s ordering attorney general to target ‘anti-Christian bias’

Thursday 6 February 2025 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he’s ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to stand up a “task force” to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” within the United States and prosecute instances of “anti-Christian violence and vandalism.”

Speaking at a bipartisan National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington, DC Hilton hotel, Trump said the task force will be ordered to “immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government,” including at the Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Andrew Feinberg rerports from Washington, D.C.

Trump rails against ‘anti-Christian bias’ and appoints new task force

Leavitt details Trump tax priorities being given to congressional Republicans

Thursday 6 February 2025 19:54 , Oliver O'Connell

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (R) speaks to the media outside the White House (EPA)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (R) speaks to the media outside the White House (EPA)

Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, detailed to reporters the tax priorities Donald Trump is laying out to congressional Republicans in their meeting today.

“No tax on tips, which is obviously a very public campaign promise that the president made,” she said.

“No tax on Senior Social Security, no tax on overtime pay, renewing President Trump's 2017 middle-class tax cuts,” she continued before adding, “Again, these are the President's priorities: adjusting the salt cap, eliminate all the special tax breaks for billionaire sports team owners, close the carried-interest tax deduction loophole, tax cuts for Made-in-America products.”

“This will be the largest tax cut in history for middle-class working Americans. The president is committed to working with Congress to get this done,” concluded Leavitt.

Watch that moment below:

Leavitt asked about number of workers taking buyout offer

Thursday 6 February 2025 19:49 , Oliver O'Connell

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt gaggled with reporters in the White House driveway and was asked about the number of federal employees who have accepted the buyout.

She replied: “Well, the last time I checked in with the Office of Personnel and Management, there was more than 40,000 individuals, federal workers, who had accepted the buyout program. We expect that number to increase, and that alone, just the 40,000 — again, we expect it to increase — it's going to save the American people tens of millions of dollars.

Leavitt continued: “And we encourage federal workers in this city to accept the very generous offer. If they don't want to show up to the office, if they want to rip the American people off, then they're welcome to take this buyout, and we'll find highly competent individuals who want to fill these roles.”

White House preparing order to cut staff across federal health agencies, report says

Thursday 6 February 2025 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter, that the White House is preparing an executive order to fire thousands of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services workers.

The White House has denied it is drafting such an order to cut workers across federal health agencies.

Even if the directive is being drafted, the administration could still decide not to move forward with the plan.

The Journal reports that the order — which could come as soon as next week — would require the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and other health agencies to reduce their employee numbers by a certain percentage.

The agencies are responsible for a range of functions, from approving new drugs to tracing bird flu outbreaks and researching cancer.

According to people familiar with the instructions, agency officials have been told to prepare lists of probationary workers who have essential roles and must be retained and of employees who don’t. Generally, probationary employees have served less than one year or two years for “excepted service” and can be let go more easily than other workers.

All publicity is good publicity? Jim Acosta ‘thanks’ Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld for mocking his new show

Thursday 6 February 2025 19:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta fired back at Greg Gutfeld on Thursday, sarcastically thanking him for the “plug” of his new Substack show after the Fox News star repeatedly ridiculed Acosta in a lengthy on-air segment on Wednesday night.

Justin Baragona has the story.

Jim Acosta ‘thanks’ Greg Gutfeld for mocking his new show: ‘You’re as bad as Hannity’

Full story: Judge accuses Trump of ‘ignoring’ law in stunning rebuke of birthright citizenship order

Thursday 6 February 2025 19:27 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal judge has once again blocked Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to redefine the constitution’s birthright citizenship clause, delivering a powerful rebuke from the bench to accuse the president of treating the rule of law as “impediment to his policy goals.”

District Judge John C. Coughenour, who was appointed by Ronald Reagan, issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday that blocks the order from taking effect nationally while the legal case plays out in Washington state.

Alex Woodward reports on the latest developments.

Judge accuses Trump of ‘ignoring’ law in rebuke of birthright citizenship order

What gift did Netanyahu give Trump during White House visit?

Thursday 6 February 2025 19:20 , Oliver O'Connell

President Donald Trump received a golden beeper from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his White House visit Tuesday — in a nod to the deadly attack on Hezbollah operatives last year that also killed children and healthcare workers.

Trump received the gift from Netanyahu Tuesday, the Associated Press reports, the same day he claimed the U.S. plans to “take over Gaza.” As he accepted the gift, Trump responded, “That was a major operation,” an unidentified Israeli official told the AP.

Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, D.C.

Trump received morbid gift from Netanyahu during White House visit

After Trump, Rubio attacks, South African leader says country 'will not be bullied'

Thursday 6 February 2025 19:17 , Oliver O'Connell

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that his country “will not be bullied.” This comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would cut off funding to South Africa over a land reform act.

Trump said on Sunday, without citing evidence, that “South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people very badly,” alluding to a new law that aims to even racial disparities in land ownership.

In his annual state of the nation address, Ramaphosa did not mention Trump by name but spoke of growing geopolitical tensions.

“We are witnessing the rise of nationalism, protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests and the decline of common cause,” he said.

“We will stand together as a united nation, and we will speak with one voice in defence of our national interests.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also criticized South Africa this week. He said he would not attend an upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg because “South Africa is doing very bad things,” such as “using G20 to promote solidarity, equality, and sustainability.”

In December, South Africa became the first African country to take over the G20 presidency and Ramaphosa has said he would use the opportunity to advance the interests of Africa and the Global South.

With reporting from Reuters

ICYMI: Trump says Israel will turn over Gaza to US with 'no need' for American troops

Thursday 6 February 2025 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has doubled down on his proposal for the US to take over the Gaza Strip, despite a global backlash, claiming that Israel will hand it over to Washington once the current 15-month war in the territory is over – and without the need for American troops to be involved.

Chris Stevenson and Tom Watling report.

Trump says Israel will turn over Gaza to US with 'no need' for American troops

Report: First woman to lead Coast Guard was forced out of residence with three hours notice

Thursday 6 February 2025 18:50 , Oliver O'Connell

The first woman to lead the U.S. Coast Guard was evicted from her home with only three hours' notice this week, a move that saw her forced to leave behind most of her personal items, a new report says.

The shock removal of four-star Admiral Linda Fagan from her home on Joint Base Anacostia Bolling in Washington D.C, comes two weeks after Homeland Security officials stripped her of her role as Commandant – in a workforce-wide email – as the first round of Trump’s ruthless purge began. It was earlier reported that Fagan learned of her dismissal while waiting in line for a photo with Trump at an inaugural ball.

Madeline Sherratt has the story.

First woman to lead Coast Guard was forced out of residence with three hours notice

Judge blocks Trump's birthright citizenship order (again)

Thursday 6 February 2025 18:39 , Alex Woodward

Just in: The judge in Washington state who issued the initial temporary restraining order against Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order has blocked it again.

District Judge John Coughenour, a Reagan appointee, ruled on a preliminary injunction from the bench. A written order should be coming in soon. Trump’s Justice Department will most certainly be appealing.

“It has become ever more apparent that to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals,” he said in a Seattle courtroom Thursday. “The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore.”

Judge temporarily blocks Trump 'deferred resignation' plan for federal workers

Thursday 6 February 2025 18:36 , Oliver O'Connell

A federal judge has postponed to Monday the deadline for U.S. government employees to participate in the Trump administration's "deferred resignation" program, which offers workers nearly eight months of pay and benefits to leave their jobs.

U.S. District Judge George O'Toole in Boston, responding to requests from unions representing more than 800,000 federal employees, paused a Thursday deadline for workers to decide whether to accept the offer while the unions pursued a legal challenge to the program.

A follow-up hearing is set for Monday at which point O’Toole could push the deadline back again.

Here’s what you need to know about the program (which, by all accounts, has not been widely taken up):

Only 20,000 federal workers opt in for Trump's resignation program

Elon Musk is suddenly at the heart of US government — is he a citizen?

Thursday 6 February 2025 18:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney has attacked the world’s richest man Elon Musk and drawn attention to the fact that he has not always been a US citizen as part of a social media spat between the pair.

Joe Sommerlad looks at Musk’s status in the U.S.

Is Elon Musk a U.S. citizen?

New AG bans federal funds from heading to 'Sanctuary Cities‘

Thursday 6 February 2025 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Hours after she was sworn in, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Justice Department to pause all federal funding for sanctuary cities, according to a report.

Among several directives issued Wednesday, Bondi charged the DOJ with identifying and evaluating funding agreements with nongovernmental organizations that provide support to undocumented immigrants, Fox News Digital first reported.

She also tasked the department with investigating instances of sanctuary jurisdictions obstructing law enforcement and “directing they be prosecuted, when necessary,” the outlet wrote.

Kelly Rissman reports.

New AG Pam Bondi bans federal funds from heading to 'Sanctuary Cities‘ on first day

Trump and Panamanian president to speak Friday after denial of 'false claims' made by Stat Dept

Thursday 6 February 2025 17:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he would speak to Donald Trump at 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, amid an increasingly tense standoff over the Panama Canal.

Mulino told journalists the U.S. was spreading “lies and falsehoods” after the State Department claimed its government vessels could pass the Panama Canal without paying.

The comments were likely to exacerbate tensions between the two countries, marking a setback after the U.S. had cited progress on military cooperation and confronting alleged Chinese influence over the canal.

President Donald Trump said the U.S. was taking back the canal after claiming China had effectively taken it over.

The Panama Canal Authority issued a statement late Wednesday denying the U.S. State Department's claim that Panama's government had agreed to no longer charge crossing fees for American government vessels, a move that would save the U.S. millions of dollars a year.

“Why are they making an important institutional statement from the entity that governs the foreign policy of the U.S., under the president of the U.S., based on a falsehood?” Mulino asked, calling the claim “simply and plainly intolerable.”

Mulino said he had asked his ambassador in Washington to take “firm steps” to deny the claim.

This latest development has soured the relationship between the two countries after what appeared to be progress earlier in the week when Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Mulino in Panama.

After the visit, Rubio welcomed Panama's decision not to renew participation in China's Belt and Road Initiative, a vast global infrastructure plan led by Beijing, calling the move “a great step forward” for bilateral ties.

Mulino confirmed the decision but denied it was at the request of the U.S.

With reporting from Reuters

Border czar says deportation raid media ride-alongs may end

Thursday 6 February 2025 17:46 , Oliver O'Connell

Tom Homan, former Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and President Trump's 'border czar' gives remarks to the press outside the West Wing of the White House (EPA)
Tom Homan, former Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and President Trump's 'border czar' gives remarks to the press outside the West Wing of the White House (EPA)

Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, indicated that if leaks continue, media access to ICE raids may be limited.

Here’s what he said in a gaggle with reporters outside the White House: “Look, I said from Day One, we want to be transparent with the American people. We’ve invited numerous media outlets along, but right now it’s all about operational security. So we may have to stop the media ride-alongs because — I’m not pointing the finger at them — but the less people that know about these operations the safer it is for our agents.”

What was Trump impeached for before, and why is a Democrat trying again?

Thursday 6 February 2025 17:40 , Katie Hawkinson

Representative Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, is set to launch his latest impeachment bid against President Donald Trump this week over his plan to “take over” Gaza.

If successful, it would mark Trump’s third impeachment, but support seems shaky as one Democratic leader says the caucus’s focus lies elsewhere.

Here’s what to know about Green’s move to impeach Trump — and the president’s previous impeachments:

Why a Democratic lawmaker is moving to impeach President Trump again

Iran responds to Trump call for 'verified nuclear peace agreement'

Thursday 6 February 2025 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Following Donald Trump’s remarks on Wednesday that he would like to establish a verified nuclear peace agreement with Iran, the country’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said that doing so would be straightforward.

“Verifying [our nuclear programme] is an easy task, they have come and verified every time they wanted to do so and they can come verify a hundred more times,” Pezeshkian said during a televised meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran.

He also said that Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon as the mass killing of innocent people is prohibited in the Islamic Republic's doctrine.

In 2018, during his previous term in office, Trump withdrew the U.S. from Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with world powers and reinstated sanctions that have severely impacted the country's economy.

On Wednesday, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran is ready to give the U.S. a chance to resolve disputes between the two countries.

With reporting from Reuters

Watch: Trump says 'Woke is gone-zo'

Thursday 6 February 2025 17:25 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge denies request for restraining order to stop emails to all federal workers

Thursday 6 February 2025 17:23 , Alex Woodward

Just now, a judge has denied the request for a temporary restraining order from two federal employees who were trying to prevent OPM from emailing all civilian federal workers at once.

There’s a brief written order on the docket and a full order is incoming. The judge noted during the hearing that he also got the government-wide buyout email.

“I suspect it was sent to the judges by mistake.”

Trump sends message to Patrick and Brittany Mahomes ahead of Super Bowl

Thursday 6 February 2025 17:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has congratulated Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany on the birth of their third child just a few days before the Super Bowl.

The president took to his Truth Social platform on Thursday (February 6) to address the couple, writing: “Congratulations to the Chiefs GREAT Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and his very beautiful and BRILLIANT wife, Brittany, on the birth of their new baby daughter, Golden Raye.”

Brittany Miller has the story.

Trump sends message to Patrick and Brittany Mahomes ahead of Super Bowl

Top Senate transportation Democrat objects to Musk's possible involvement in FAA

Thursday 6 February 2025 17:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Transportation Committee, has responded to the news that Elon Musk and the Department of Transportation would “remake” U.S. airspace.

She told reporters: “I'm sending a letter to Secretary [Sean] Duffy. It's a clear conflict of interest. Secretary Duffy should make sure that Mr. Musk is not part of the FAA air transportation system...The last thing I want is that guy trying to control the airspace.”

Cantwell added: “What we don't welcome is a man who's regulated by this sector and who has had fines for violation of safety.”

Trump boosts bogus MAGA conspiracy theory about USAID funding Politico

Thursday 6 February 2025 17:00 , Oliver O'Connell

It was really only a matter of time.

Less than 48 hours after MAGA provocateurs peddled the bogus claim that Politico is heavily subsidized by funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, President Donald Trump raged on Truth Social that this was the “BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL.”

Justin Baragona reports.

Now Trump is boosting a bogus MAGA conspiracy theory about USAID funding Politico

Trump to sign order sanctioning International Criminal Court, officials says

Thursday 6 February 2025 16:49 , Oliver O'Connell

President Donald Trump will sign an order today sanctioning the International Criminal Court for targeting the U.S. and its allies such as Israel, a White House official says.

Reuters reports that the order puts financial and visa sanctions on individuals and families who assist in ICC investigations of U.S. citizens or their allies.

Trump border czar says Mexico has been 'very helpful'

Thursday 6 February 2025 16:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Asked if Mexico is doing enough in terms of providing troops and aid, Trump border czar Tom Homan told NewsNation: “I think Mexico is doing a lot. There could be more done. But what they've done right now, I think it's very helpful.”

Liz Cheney takes a swipe at Elon Musk's citizenship

Thursday 6 February 2025 16:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Former congresswoman Liz Cheney took a jab at billionaire political adviser Elon Musk after he amplified a post on X that correlated Cheney’s disdain for President Donald Trump to her time working in the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Ariana Baio has the story.

Liz Cheney takes a swipe at Elon Musk's citizenship as pair trade blows on X

Federal government workers pushed to accept buyout offer as deadline looms

Thursday 6 February 2025 16:28 , Oliver O'Connell

The Trump administration increased pressure on federal government workers on Thursday to accept a buyout offer before a midnight deadline, while labor unions urged members to stay in their jobs and sought to block the proposal in court.

In emails sent out this morning, the administration highlighted that the offer expires at 11:59 p.m. ET and informed workers that those who do not accept it could still lose their jobs.

“At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position,” the message stated, according to a copy reviewed by Reuters.

President Donald Trump’s unprecedented push to significantly reduce the civil service has stirred controversy in Washington, triggering street protests in the nation’s capital, and raising legal concerns over whether he is overstepping his presidential powers.

Unions representing federal workers have cautioned their members that the “deferred resignation program” may violate multiple laws and have filed a lawsuit to block it.

Their request will be reviewed by a federal judge at 1 p.m. ET.

A source told Reuters that as of Wednesday night, more than 40,000 federal employees had accepted the buyout offer, though that figure could not be independently confirmed.

That only represents about two percent of the federal government's civilian workforce of 2.3 million people.

The offer guarantees their salaries until October, although even that is being questioned. Media reports say the Department of Education informed staff who accepted the offer that their paychecks could still cease at any moment.

The buyout includes not only employees at domestic agencies that have drawn the ire of Trump’s Republicans but even vital intelligence services such as the CIA.

With reporting by Reuters

Watch: Trump says 'you can’t be happy without religion, without that belief'

Thursday 6 February 2025 16:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump pleads for more religion in America

Trump's trade nominee argues robust manufacturing base means hard power to deter conflict

Thursday 6 February 2025 16:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Jamieson Greer testifies before the Senate Finance Committee as part of the nomination process to be Donald Trump’s U.S. Trade Representatives (AFP via Getty Images)
Jamieson Greer testifies before the Senate Finance Committee as part of the nomination process to be Donald Trump’s U.S. Trade Representatives (AFP via Getty Images)

Jamieson Greer, President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. Trade Representative, advocated on Thursday for increased access to foreign markets for American farmers.

“American agricultural producers are the most competitive, and they need to have markets commensurate with that competitiveness,” Greer told the Senate Finance Committee at his confirmation hearing. “And to me, that means that we need to go and gain market access where things have been closed.”

Greer identified India and Turkey as markets that “need to open to the United States” and its agricultural products.

In his prepared remarks, Greer stated that the efforts to reorient trade policy during Trump's first term enjoyed bipartisan support and expressed his eagerness to work "in close consultation with Congress."

Greer stated that an active and pragmatic trade policy is essential for restoring lower inflation, reducing unemployment, and achieving higher real median household income like that seen during Trump's last administration.

“If the United States does not have a robust manufacturing base and innovation economy, it will have little in the way of hard power to deter conflict and protect Americans,” he said.

If confirmed, Greer stated he would advocate for trade policies that create well-paying jobs for American workers and ensure the resilience of supply chains, which he emphasized is essential for U.S. economic and national security.

“We need resilience in strategic goods and services, agricultural and food supply chains, and technology,” Greer said, saying foreign adversaries seek to overtake America’s technological edge.

With reporting from Reuters

Watch: Trump announces 'religious liberty' task force

Thursday 6 February 2025 16:05 , Oliver O'Connell

Netanyahu says no need for U.S. troops in Gaza

Thursday 6 February 2025 16:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Before meeting with a bipartisan group of senators on Capitol Hill, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamine Netanyahu was asked if he thought U.S. troops are needed in Gaza to make Donald Trump’s plan peaceful.

He replied simply: “No.”

What was RFK Jr putting in his drink mid-flight?

Thursday 6 February 2025 16:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Robert F Kennedy Jr has left social media users scratching their heads after the Health and Human Services secretary nominee was recorded administering droplets of a mysterious blue liquid into his drink on board a flight.

RFK Jr, a known vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist, was filmed administering several pipette-fuls of the Cobolt blue-colored liquid into his glass.

Internet sleuths were on the case immediately, as James Liddell reports.

What was RFK Jr putting in his drink mid-flight?

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:57 , Oliver O'Connell

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), joined by fellow Progressive Caucus members, speaks on Elon Musk's government interference at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on February 06, 2025 in Washington, DC.The press conference was held to speak out against Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) involvement and overreach of power in the federal government including accessing sensitive information at the U.S. Treasury and Office of Personnel Management. (Getty Images)

Google becomes the latest tech giant to fall in line with Trump

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Google has ditched its diverse hiring targets in the wake of President Donald Trump’s order to put an end to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order directing the termination of all “radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing” in the federal government. Google, a federal contractor, has now become the latest tech company to change its practices, joining the likes of Meta and Amazon.

Kelly Rissman reports.

Google becomes latest tech giant to fall in line with Trump by ending DEI policies

Netanyahu arrives at U.S. Capitol for meeting with Speaker Johnson

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:48 , Oliver O'Connell

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on Capitol Hill this morning for a meeting with Republican Speaker Mike Johnson.

The two have a lot to discuss following President Donald Trump’s comments that Israel would hand Gaza over to the United States after the fighting ended and the enclave's population had been resettled elsewhere. After a day of global condemnation of Trump's announcement that he intended to take over and develop the Gaza Strip into the "Riviera of the Middle East," Israel ordered its army to get ready to facilitate the "voluntary departure" of Gaza's residents.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the U.S. Capitol on the day of a meeting with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), in Washington. (REUTERS)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the U.S. Capitol on the day of a meeting with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), in Washington. (REUTERS)
 (AFP via Getty Images)
(AFP via Getty Images)

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:43 , Oliver O'Connell

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, is greeted by Dominican Republican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez as he arrives at the National Palace in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, is greeted by Dominican Republican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez as he arrives at the National Palace in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (AP)

Full story: Trump says he’s ordering attorney general to target ‘anti-Christian bias’ with ‘religious liberty’ new task force

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:40 , Oliver O'Connell

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he’s ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to stand up a “task force” to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” within the United States and prosecute instances of “anti-Christian violence and vandalism.”

Speaking at a bipartisan National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington, DC Hilton hotel, Trump said the task force will be ordered to “immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government,” including at the Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, D.C.

Trump rails against ‘anti-Christian bias’ and appoints new task force

What did Rubio tell U.S. diplomats about future of foreign aid?

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo reach out to shake hands at the end of their joint news conference at the National Palace in Guatemala City (via REUTERS)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo reach out to shake hands at the end of their joint news conference at the National Palace in Guatemala City (via REUTERS)

CBS News reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told U.S. diplomats behind closed doors that the United States does not plan to stop distributing foreign aid around the world but needs to do a better job explaining and defending programs receiving assistance.

Per CBS:

"The United States is not walking away from foreign aid. It's not. We're going to continue to provide foreign aid and to be involved in programs, but it has to be programs that we can defend. It has to be programs that we can explain. It has to be programs that we can justify. Otherwise, we do endanger foreign aid," Rubio told about 200 staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, according to a partial transcript of his remarks obtained Wednesday by CBS News.

"This is not about politics, but foreign aid is the least popular thing government spends money on," Rubio added. "And I spent a lot of time in my career defending it and explaining it, but it's harder and harder to do across the board – it really is. But for those of us in charge of doing the work of foreign policy, we understand it is essential."

DOJ responds to FBI agents' lawsuits over possible Jan 6 retribution

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:32 , Alex Woodward

The Justice Department has responded to the lawsuits from FBI agents who were surveyed about their involvement in the January 6 cases and the Trump investigations, asserting that their fears of retaliation are simply “speculative” and insufficient to justify a restraining order to prevent the publication of their names.

While there are two lawsuits, the DOJ did the equivalent of a copy-paste to use the same filing in both.

Here’s what you need to know about the cases:

FBI agents file class action suit against Trump’s DOJ over ‘retribution’

Watch: Rep Al Green speaks about introducting articles of impeachment against Trump

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:25 , Oliver O'Connell

"On some issues it is better to stand alone than not stand at all."

Mexican border cities in limbo as tariff threats spark fears of recession

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:20 , AP

As soon as the sun glints over miles of border fence dividing the United States and Mexico, the engines of cargo trucks packed with auto and computer parts roar to life along border bridges and bleary-eyed workers file into factories to assemble a multitude of products geared toward the U.S. market.

For more than half a century, this daily rhythm has helped fuel the heartbeat of a transnational machine that generated more than $800 billion in trade between the U.S. and Mexico in 2024 alone.

Over the past year, however, President Donald Trump's threatened 25% tariffs against Mexico and Canada have plunged manufacturing hubs all along the northern Mexican border into limbo, a state that persists despite a one-month reprieve to which Trump agreed on Monday.

Continue reading...

Mexican border cities are in limbo as tariff threats spark fears of a recession

Americans United reacts to Trump's religious task force announcement

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:17 , Alex Woodward

Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, whose organization has participated in several First Amendment lawsuits—including the Louisiana Ten Commandments case and the Supreme Court case involving the praying football coach—released the following statement regarding Donald Trump’s task force to protect religious beliefs.

“Americans United believes that all people, including Christians, should be able to live as themselves and believe as they choose so long as they don’t harm others. But rather than protecting religious beliefs, this task force will misuse religious freedom to justify bigotry, discrimination, and the subversion of our civil rights laws. We’ve seen Christian Nationalists do this already, claiming that religious freedom is a license to harm others.

“If Trump really cared about religious freedom and ending religious persecution, he’d be addressing antisemitism in his inner circle, anti-Muslim bigotry, hate crimes against people of color and other religious minorities, but instead, he’s abolishing federal programs and protections that address those wrongs. This task force is not a response to Christian persecution; it’s an attempt to make America into an ultra-conservative Christian Nationalist nation. This is part of the Christian Nationalist crusade to remake our country. Not on our watch. Americans United and our hundreds of thousands of supporters across the country will not stop fighting for church-state separation until this nation lives up to its promise of freedom without favor and equality without exception.”

Trump to create task force to 'eradicate anti-Christian bias'

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton and in his usual style veered between lofty prepared remarks and seemingly off-the-cuff observations.

The president said: “It was confidence in America's God-given destiny that pushed the pioneers to journey west and led Americans to end Slavery... defeat Communism... We have to remember it's unyielding faith in America's mission that inspires us to make our country great again.”

After his first two weeks in office, he said, “I don't know if you've been watching, but we got rid of Woke over the last two weeks. Woke is gone-zo.”

Remarking on his role as president as the country hosts the Olympics, the World Cup, and its 250th anniversary, Trump said, “God works in very strange ways.”

The president also announced the creation of the White House Faith Office, led by Pastor and televangelist Paula White, and a Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty.

The mega-church pastor also worked on Trump’s campaigns and on the White House “Faith and Opportunity Initiative” in the Office of Public Liaison in the president’s first term.

Trump will also be signing an executive order making new Attorney General Pam Bondi the head of a task force “to eradicate anti-Christian bias.”

The president said this task force will also “prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society.”

Musk assistant accused of moving into fed agency offices with family

Thursday 6 February 2025 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

This is a strange one.

An Elon Musk assistant has been accused of “shacking up” in the building of a federal agency and bringing his wife and young child with him as he puts in the hours on behalf of DOGE.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Elon Musk 'lieutenant' accused of moving into federal agency offices with family

Fox reporter grills House Speaker over Musk’s role in Trump administration

Thursday 6 February 2025 14:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Mike Johnson found himself forced to defend Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration after being grilled by a reporter from the typically conservative Fox News about “unelected bureaucrats” exerting influence within the federal government.

James Liddell has the story.

Fox News reporter grills Speaker Johnson about Musk's role in Trump admin

Trump says Israel will turn over Gaza to U.S. with ‘no need’ for American troops

Thursday 6 February 2025 14:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s Tom Watling with more on the president’s Truth Social post earlier in which he gave more detail about how America might assume control of Gaza.

Trump says Israel will turn over Gaza to US with 'no need' for American troops

Trump delivers meandering remarks at Prayer Breakfast

Thursday 6 February 2025 14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The president has been speaking at the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC and used his address to reflect on political polarization, saying Democrats and Republicans can no longer eat dinner together but hailing the Senate confirmation of Marco Rubio as his secretary of state as an example of the greater unity to come.

He also reflected on his surviving an assassination attempt last year (“God did that”), noting that the bullet did not touch his hair and on last week’s tragic plane crash over the Potomac, pledging improved air traffic control and comparing the current situation to a driving range with golf balls flying across the air (an odd analogy but OK sure).

“I guess the helicopter was high, and we will point out exactly what happened,” he said.

“But the odds even if you had nothing, nobody, the odds of that napping are extremely small. Did you ever go to a driving range in golf and hit hundreds of balls, thousands of hours. I’ve never seen a ball hit another ball. You never see them hit and balls going up all over the place. That is amazing that could happen.”

Trump also revived his proposal for a “national garden of heroes” to be built, which he pitched in 2020 only for it to be canned by the Biden administration.

“People of religion are going to be happy again,” he concluded by saying.

“And I really believe you can't be happy without religion, without that belief.”

All very eccentric.

In pictures: Trump attends National Prayer Breakfast in Washington

Thursday 6 February 2025 13:40 , Joe Sommerlad

 (Reuters)
(Reuters)
 (Reuters)
(Reuters)
 (Reuters)
(Reuters)
 (AFP/Getty)
(AFP/Getty)

NY AG warns hospitals they’ll be breaking state law by following Trump order

Thursday 6 February 2025 13:20 , Joe Sommerlad

New York Attorney General Letitia James has warned hospitals that they will be breaking state law if they adhere to Donald Trump's executive order on transgender healthcare.

Trump signed an executive order last week stating that federal agencies must make sure that hospitals that receive federal research and education grants must “end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.”

The order includes words such as “maiming” and “sterilizing”, which stands in stark contrast to the terminology typically used when discussing gender-affirming care in the U.S.

Gender-affirming care for children remains a rarity but has garnered the attention and ire of conservatives.

James used a letter to remind healthcare facilities that refusing to provide gender-affirming care would be in violation of New York state anti-discrimination laws.

Gustaf Kilander has this on what she had to say.

NY AG warns hospitals they'll be breaking state law if they follow Trump's order

Trump’s plan to take over Gaza not executable, says ex-White House communications boss

Thursday 6 February 2025 13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s more from the Mooch’s interview with Robert Peston.

Trump's Gaza takeover plan not executable, says ex-White House communications boss

Bondi uses her first day in office to ban federal funds from heading to ‘sanctuary cities’

Thursday 6 February 2025 12:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Hours after she was sworn in, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Justice Department to pause all federal funding for sanctuary cities on Wednesday.

Among several directives issued on Wednesday, Bondi charged the Justice Dept with identifying and evaluating funding agreements with nongovernmental organizations that provide support to undocumented immigrants.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

New AG Pam Bondi bans federal funds from heading to 'Sanctuary Cities‘ on first day

Trump has imperial ambitions. Why doesn’t anyone believe him?

Thursday 6 February 2025 12:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The president’s thirst for land is either a negotiating tactic or the dawn of a new imperial age, writes Richard Hall.

Donald Trump has imperial ambitions. Why doesn’t anyone believe him?

Trump lashes out at CBS, explains Gaza resettlement plan and accuses USAID of stealing funds

Thursday 6 February 2025 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The president is up early and has been firing out posts on Truth Social, all humdingers.

On CBS, he has this to say:

“CBS and 60 Minutes defrauded the public by doing something which has never, to this extent, been seen before. They 100% removed Kamala’s horrible election changing answers to questions, and replaced them with completely different, and far better, answers, taken from another part of the interview. This was Election changing ‘stuff,’ Election Interference and, quite simply, Election Fraud at a level never seen before. CBS should lose its license, and the cheaters at 60 Minutes should all be thrown out, and this disreputable ‘NEWS’ show should be immediately terminated. With the new Democrat scandal that just arose with respect to USAID illegally paying large sums of money to Politico and other media outlets, the question must me asked, was CBS paid for committing this FRAUD??? Many other questions to come! This will go down as the biggest Broadcasting SCANDAL in History!!!”

On Gaza, he elaborates:

“The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting. The Palestinians, people like Chuck Schumer, would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region. They would actually have a chance to be happy, safe, and free. The U.S., working with great development teams from all over the World, would slowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth. No soldiers by the U.S. would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!!!”

And on USAID there’s this:

“LOOKS LIKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS HAVE BEEN STOLLEN AT USAID, AND OTHER AGENCIES, MUCH OF IT GOING TO THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA AS A ‘PAYOFF’ FOR CREATING GOOD STORIES ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS. THE LEFT WING ‘RAG,’ KNOWN AS ‘POLITICO,’ SEEMS TO HAVE RECEIVED $8,000,000. Did the New York Times receive money??? Who else did??? THIS COULD BE THE BIGGEST SCANDAL OF THEM ALL, PERHAPS THE BIGGEST IN HISTORY! THE DEMOCRATS CAN’T HIDE FROM THIS ONE. TOO BIG, TOO DIRTY!”

Republicans and Democrats firmly divided on Trump’s Gaza decree

Thursday 6 February 2025 11:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump left both parties divided after announcing his brazen plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and, in doing so, transform it from a “hell hole” to the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

The president has been met with a mixture of support, dissent and outright confusion after his remarks in a White House press conference that even surprised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Without ruling out military intervention, Trump declared that the U.S. will “own” the war-torn territory, which has seen vast destruction and around 47,000 deaths in the 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas. He also suggested millions of displaced Palestinians resettle in “areas where the leaders currently say no.”

By some, like the aforementioned Al Green, Trump has been accused of propagating the idea of “ethnic cleansing” while several of his MAGA faithful have praised his plans to “Make Gaza Beautiful Again”.

James Liddell has some of the key reactions to Trump’s divisive comments from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle.

'Ethnic cleansing' or 'Make Gaza Beautiful Again'?: Trump divides political figures

Texas Democrat files new articles of impeachment against Trump

Thursday 6 February 2025 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Congressman Al Green, who filed multiple impeachment articles against Donald Trump during his first term, has been unable to resist the urge to do so again just two weeks into Trump’s return to the White House.

Green announced on Wednesday that he was bringing the articles against the president after he said Palestinians should be removed from Gaza and that the U.S. should “take over” the territory.

Green said he was acting against “dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done”, declared “ethnic cleansing in Gaza is no joke” and quoted Dr Martin Luther King Jr by saying “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and injustice in Gaza is a threat to justice in the United States of America.”

Why Trump’s ban on trans sports may fall at the first hurdle

Thursday 6 February 2025 11:10 , Joe Sommerlad

The president’s order yesterday directs the Department of Justice to ensure all government agencies enforce a ban on transgender girls and women from participating in female school sports under Trump’s interpretation of Title IX, a law against sex discrimination in education.

Trump’s order also goes beyond high school and college sports, calling for the government to deny visas for transgender females seeking to compete in the United States.

It will also instruct the State Department to pressure the International Olympic Committee to change its policy, which allows trans athletes to compete under general guidance preventing any athlete from gaining an unfair advantage.

A White House official said the United States will use “all of our authority and our ability” to enforce the order in Olympic events on U.S. soil. The 2028 Summer Olympics are due to be held in Los Angeles.

Many states have instituted similar bans in recent years, sparking legal challenges and Trump's action is likely to face lawsuits as well.

Here is a look at how the dispute has played out in court so far and how it could continue.

Why Donald Trump’s ban on trans sports may fall at the first hurdle

Rubio downplays Trump’s Gaza takeover proposal

Thursday 6 February 2025 10:50 , Joe Sommerlad

The Secretary of State yesterday denied that the new administration wants the permanent relocation of Palestinians from the territory, claiming that Trump instead had only volunteered the U.S. to “clean the place up from all the destruction that’s on the ground, clean it up of all these unexploded munitions”, which would mean Palestinians “will not be able to live there while you have crews coming.”

Trump's top diplomat contradicts president's US Gaza takeover claim

Trump fears Musk and his ‘$44bn megaphone’, claims ex-White House communications boss

Thursday 6 February 2025 10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Anthony Scaramucci has been sharing his thoughts on the president and his likely eventual fallout with Elon Musk in conversation with ITV’s Robert Peston.

Trump fears Musk and his '$44bn megaphone', claims ex-White House communications boss

World recoils from Trump plan for Gaza that will push out Palestinians

Thursday 6 February 2025 10:10 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump’s outlandish proposal to assume control of Gaza and remove much of its Palestinian population has sparked a fierce global backlash – with residents of the besieged territory making clear that if 15 months of brutal war was not enough to make them leave, the US president’s bullish rhetoric means nothing.

Arab nations across the Middle East and Europe moved swiftly to condemn Trump’s remarks from the White House, where he said that the US “will take over the Gaza Strip” with a “a long-term ownership position” – estimating that about 1.8 million of the near-2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza would have to be relocated to achieve his vision of turning what he called a “hell hole” into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.

Here’s more on the international reaction from Nedal Hamdouna in northern Gaza plus Sam Kiley and Bel Trew.

World recoils from Trump plan to ‘take over’ Gaza and push out Palestinians

Trump’s Gaza policy ‘caught officials off guard’

Thursday 6 February 2025 09:50 , Joe Sommerlad

The president’s “outrageous” plans for Gaza caught officials off guard and even his top advisers were unaware it was coming, according to CNN.

While the president’s plans for the U.S. to take ownership of Gaza and turn it from “a hellhole” to a “Middle Eastern Riviera” was reportedly formulated “over time,” his unveiling of the idea on Tuesday night came as a shock to some of his inner circle.

Trump, who revealed the plans alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, did not rule out sending American troops to the war-torn enclave.

One Middle East adviser to the president, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they were “stunned” and had not heard about the plans until Trump revealed it during his press conference.

But others reportedly heard about the plans in the days before the meeting with Netanyahu.

Discussions around the ceasefire and wider tensions in the Middle East had been discussed with senior Republicans in recent weeks, however, aides said that the specific Gaza proposal had not come up in private meetings between Trump and Republican members of the Armed Services Committees.

Rhian Lubin has more.

Trump's Gaza policy caught officials off guard as source of idea revealed

Musk will now ‘plug in’ to commandeer US air traffic control system, says transportation secretary

Thursday 6 February 2025 09:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Speaking of Musk, as we so often must, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced yesterday that DOGE will take part in upgrading the U.S. aviation system following last week’s deadly air crash in Washington D.C.

“Big News,” Duffy wrote on X. “Talked to the DOGE team. They are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system.”

Musk reposted Duffy’s message, adding: “With the support of President Donald Trump, the DOGE team will aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system.

“Just a few days ago, the FAA’s primary aircraft safety notification system failed for several hours!”

Gustaf Kilander has more.

Musk will now 'plug in' to commandeer US air traffic control system

Musk’s DOGE blocked from Treasury payment systems

Thursday 6 February 2025 09:10 , Joe Sommerlad

Justice Department attorneys have agreed to temporarily block staffers belonging to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing information in the Treasury Department’s payment system.

The Treasury was sued by a group of union members and retirees who alleged that providing DOGE access to the government’s giant payment and collections system and the personal data housed within it violated federal privacy laws.

The Trump administration filed a motion on Wednesday night entering a proposed order detailing the agreed-upon terms, which now needs to be signed off by a judge.

“The defendants will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained by or within the Bureau of the Fiscal Service,” the order says.

It allows for exceptions for two special government employees at the Treasury, Tom Krause and Marko Elez, saying they should be granted access “as needed” to perform their duties, “provided that such access to payment records will be ‘read only.’”

The restricted access will remain in effect pending a subsequent hearing on the lawsuit.

Here’s Rhian Lubin on why Musk’s unfettered access was always dangerous.

Why Musk's access to the Treasury payment system is so dangerous

Trump signs executive order banning trans women and girls from women’s sports

Thursday 6 February 2025 08:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Good morning!

Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive ordering banning schools and athletic organizations from allowing transgender women to take part in women’s sports.

The order – which falsely categorizes trans women as “men” – fulfills the president’s campaign promise to end “the dangerous and unfair participation of men in women’s sports” by directing federal law enforcement agencies to take “immediate action” against schools and associations that “deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms.”

In remarks from the White House on Wednesday while surrounded by young girls, Trump claimed that the “radical left” has “waged an all-out campaign to erase the very concept of biological sex and replace it with a militant transgender ideology.”

Alex Woodward has the story.

Trump signs executive order banning trans women and girls from women’s sports

Another judge blocks Trump's birthright citizenship executive order

Thursday 6 February 2025 08:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Another federal judge has temporarily struck down Donald Trump’s executive order that seeks to unilaterally redefine the 14th Amendment’s clause on birthright citizenship.

Maryland District Judge Deborah L. Boardman granted a temporary restraining order on Wednesday after a group of 16 pregnant women sued the Trump administration in the hours after the president signed an order that seeks to deny citizenship to certain American-born children of immigrants.

Trump’s order “runs counter to our nation’s 250-year history of citizenship by birth” and likely violates Supreme Court precedent, which “has resoundingly rejected” the president’s characterization of the 14th Amendment, Boardman said.

Alex Woodward has the details.

Trump dealt another blow after judge blocks birthright citizenship executive order

CIA offers 'buyouts' to every spy as it works to remake agency in Trump's vision

Thursday 6 February 2025 08:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The Central Intelligence Agency offered its entire workforce a buyout this week, as President Donald Trump seeks to overhaul the federal government in his vision.

In exchange for resigning or taking early retirement, CIA officers can obtain roughly eight months of pay and benefits, those familiar with the report said – an offer similar to the one the Office of Personnel Management sent to federal employees last week.

It is unclear how many CIA employees have accepted the buyout. The exact number of CIA employees is not public information.

Ariana Baio reports.

CIA offers 'buyouts' to every spy as it works to remake agency in Trump's vision

Fox News gushes over Trump's Gaza occupation plan

Thursday 6 February 2025 07:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Several Fox News hosts on Wednesday heaped praise on Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza and forcibly relocate nearly 2 million Palestinians to build the “Riviera of the Middle East,” saying the plan — that’s been labeled “ethnic cleansing” by many — shows the president is playing “four-dimensional chess.”

Justin Baragona has the story.

Fox News gushes that Trump is playing '4-dimensional chess‘ on Gaza

'Ethnic cleansing' or 'Make Gaza Beautiful Again'?

Thursday 6 February 2025 05:30 , James Liddell

Donald Trump left Republicans and Democrats divided after announcing his brazen plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip and, in doing so, transform it from a “hell hole” to the “Riviera of the Middle East”.

The president has been met with a mixture of support, dissent and outright confusion after Tuesday’s remarks in a White House press conference that even surprised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Without ruling out military intervention, Trump declared that the U.S. will “own” the war-torn territory, which has seen vast destruction and around 47,000 deaths in the 15-month conflict between Israel and Hamas. He also suggested millions of displaced Palestinians resettle in “areas where the leaders currently say no.”

By some, Trump has been accused of propagating the idea of “ethnic cleansing,” while several of his MAGA faithful have praised his plans to “Make Gaza Beautiful Again.”

Here are the key reactions to Trump’s divisive comments from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle.

'Ethnic cleansing' or 'Make Gaza Beautiful Again'?: Trump divides political figures

White House attempts to soften Trump's 'take over' Gaza comments

Thursday 6 February 2025 04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Andrew Feinberg writes:

[Karoline] Leavitt’s statement that any relocation of Palestinians currently in Gaza would not be a permanent displacement was a 180-degree reversal from what Trump had said during a press conference on Tuesday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Read on...

White House attempts to soften Trump's 'take over' Gaza comments

Trump has done the impossible and turned Canada patriotic

Thursday 6 February 2025 03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Holly Baxter writes:

It was a scene few had ever witnessed. As the opening words of “The Star-Spangled Banner” were sung by Elizabeth Irving in Vancouver’s Rogers Arena before a Tuesday night hockey game between the Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche, the crowd erupted in boos. Those boos continued throughout the song, and only abated when she began her rendition of “O Canada.”

On the same night, a similar scene played out as the NBA’s only Canadian franchise — the Toronto Raptors — hosted the New York Knicks.

Continue reading...

Trump has done the impossible and turned Canada patriotic

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website