From 1h ago 10.18 EST Federal workers sue over Elon Musk’s threat to fire them if they don’t explain their accomplishments Attorneys for federal workers said on Monday in a lawsuit that billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk had violated the law with his weekend demand that employees explain their accomplishments or risk being fired, the AP reports. The updated lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California and was provided to the Associated Press, is trying to block mass layoffs pursued by Musk and president Donald Trump, including any connected to the email distributed by the Office of Personnel Management on Saturday. The office, which functions as a human resources agency for the federal government, said employees needed to detail five things that they did last week by end of day on Monday. “No OPM rule, regulation, policy, or program has ever, in United States history, purported to require all federal workers to submit reports to OPM,” said the amended complaint, which was filed on behalf of unions, businesses veterans, and conservation organizations represented by the group State Democracy Defenders Fund. It called the threat of mass firings “one of the most massive employment frauds in the history of this country.” Musk, who is leading the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul and downsize the federal government, continued to threaten federal workers on Monday morning even as confusion spread through the administration and some top officials told employees not to comply. Share
48s ago 11.17 EST Zelenskyy’s comments come as the UN General Assembly are meeting to vote on two draft resolutions on Ukraine. The US has pressured Ukraine to withdraw its European-backed resolution demanding an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine in favor of an American proposal that does not mention Moscow’s invasion, AP reports. The US believes “this is the moment to commit to ending the war. This is our opportunity to build real momentum toward peace,” secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a statement late on Friday. He said that “while challenges may arise, the goal of lasting peace remains achievable” and that the resolution would “affirm that this conflict is awful, that the UN can help end it, and that peace is possible”. The Ukraine resolution, co-sponsored by the EU-27, refers to “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation” and recalls the need to implement all previous assembly resolutions “adopted in response to the aggression against Ukraine”. It singles out the General Assembly’s demand that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders” and its demand to immediately halt all hostilities. And it calls for “a de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine”. The very brief US draft resolution acknowledges “the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict” and “implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.” It never mentions Moscow’s invasion. Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, told reporters last week that the US resolution was “a good move”. Both resolutions will now be voted on in turn and we’ll bring you more as we get it. Share Updated at 11.18 EST
10m ago 11.07 EST Ukraine and US working ‘productively’ on economic deal – Zelenskyy Ukraine and the US are working productively on an economic deal at the centre of an effort to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday. The Ukrainian president made the remark in Kyiv during an address through video link to the leaders of G7 countries, including US president Donald Trump, during which he repeated that both Europe and Ukraine should be involved in a peace process. Trump’s main focus on Ukraine has appeared to be extracting concessions via a deal allowing the US to exploit the country’s vast mineral wealth. Zelenskyy rejected an initial proposal for a $500bn minerals deal and said he did not recognise the sum demanded by the White House as apparent “payback” for previous US military assistance, where for every $1 of any future military aid Kyiv has to pay back $2 – an interest rate, Zelenskyy noted, of 100%. What is more, the US’s opening offer came without security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelenskyy said in a press conference on Sunday: I don’t want something that 10 generations of Ukrainians will have to pay back. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent – who delivered the original proposal to Zelenskyy – told Fox News yesterday he was “quite hopeful” an agreement will be struck this week, and Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andrii Yermak said on social media that the ongoing conversation was “constructive”, adding: “We are making progress.” My colleague Jane Clinton is covering all the latest on Ukraine here: Zelenskyy says Kyiv and US working ‘productively’ on economic deal as UN holds meeting on Ukraine -live Read more Share Updated at 11.09 EST
32m ago 10.45 EST Elon Musk called the co-leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) to congratulate her on the party’s performance in Sunday’s election after it doubled its support from the last election, my colleagues Deborah Cole and Helen Sullivan report. View image in fullscreen Co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Alice Weidel attends a press conference after the German general election in Berlin on 24 February. Photograph: Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters Alice Weidel hinted she had slept through an overnight attempt to reach her by the Trump adviser and Tesla CEO, who had repeatedly intervened in the German campaign on her behalf. “When I turned on my telephone this morning or rather looked at it, I had missed calls from the US including from Elon Musk who personally congratulated [me],” she told reporters. The party was endorsed by Musk and the US vice-president, JD Vance, during the election campaign. Musk, who had described the AfD in January as the “best hope for the future” in Germany, shared a post showing the party’s gains since 2021, with the caption “Holy shit!”. Elon Musk congratulates AfD’s Alice Weidel on far-right gains in German election Read more Share Updated at 10.46 EST
1h ago 10.18 EST Federal workers sue over Elon Musk’s threat to fire them if they don’t explain their accomplishments Attorneys for federal workers said on Monday in a lawsuit that billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk had violated the law with his weekend demand that employees explain their accomplishments or risk being fired, the AP reports. The updated lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California and was provided to the Associated Press, is trying to block mass layoffs pursued by Musk and president Donald Trump, including any connected to the email distributed by the Office of Personnel Management on Saturday. The office, which functions as a human resources agency for the federal government, said employees needed to detail five things that they did last week by end of day on Monday. “No OPM rule, regulation, policy, or program has ever, in United States history, purported to require all federal workers to submit reports to OPM,” said the amended complaint, which was filed on behalf of unions, businesses veterans, and conservation organizations represented by the group State Democracy Defenders Fund. It called the threat of mass firings “one of the most massive employment frauds in the history of this country.” Musk, who is leading the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul and downsize the federal government, continued to threaten federal workers on Monday morning even as confusion spread through the administration and some top officials told employees not to comply. Share
1h ago 10.12 EST The US Transportation Department told workers they should respond to a demand by Donald Trump’s adviser Elon Musk to list their accomplishments in the past week by 11.59 pm ET on Monday. USDOT has a workforce of about 57,000 people that includes the Federal Aviation Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Railroad Administration regulating companies including Boeing and Tesla. The department’s email to employees on Monday said they should include about five bullet points of accomplishments but exclude classified information. In response to criticism of the order, Musk wrote on X: “This email is a basic pulse check.” Some other agencies have told employees not to respond, even the FBI which is now headed by fierce Trump loyalist Kash Patel. Patel instructed agency staff to “please pause any responses,” in an email obtained by Politico. Leadership at the Pentagon, State Department, Justice Department, FBI, NIH, Energy Department, DHS, HHS, Office of the DNI, NOAA and NSA have all told employees they should not or did not need to respond to the email as yet. Share
1h ago 10.06 EST Judge blocks Musk’s Doge team from accessing Education Department and OPM data A federal judge has blocked the government downsizing team created by Donald Trump and spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk from accessing sensitive data maintained by the US Education Department and the US Office of Personnel Management, Reuters reports. US district judge Deborah Boardman in Greenbelt, Maryland issued the temporary restraining order at the behest of a coalition of labor unions who argued the agencies wrongly granted Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” access to records containing personal information on millions of Americans. The judge said the plaintiffs had established that both agencies had likely violated federal law by granting Doge “sweeping access” to sensitive personal information in violation of the Privacy Act of 1974. That information included social security numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, income and assets, citizenship status and disability status for current and former federal employees and student aid recipients. The Trump administration had argued that a ruling blocking Doge from accessing the information would impede the Republican president’s ability to fulfil his agenda by limiting what information his advisors can access. But Boardman said her order prevents the disclosure of the plaintiffs’ sensitive personal information to Doge affiliates who, on the current record, do not have a need to know the information to perform their duties.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Share Updated at 10.14 EST
1h ago 10.02 EST Auto safety agency laying off staff at agency that investigated Tesla crashes The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration laid off 4% of its staff as part of a government-wide trimming of probationary employees, a spokesperson said on Monday. View image in fullscreen Image from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report released on 14 January 2025 shows a crash test of a 2024 Tesla Cybertruck in Adelanto, California. Photograph: AP The agency has pending investigations into deadly crashes involving Tesla cars. Elon Musk is CEO of the automaker and president Donald Trump’s senior adviser on a crusade to shrink the federal government. NHTSA said under former president Joe Biden the agency grew by 30% and is still considerably larger after the job cuts earlier this month. Its workforce was about 800 before the job cuts. In addition to investigations into Tesla’s partially automated vehicles, NHTSA has mandated that Tesla and other automakers using self-driving technology report crash data on vehicles, a requirement that Tesla has criticized and that watchdogs fear could be eliminated. Share Updated at 10.03 EST
1h ago 09.54 EST Here’s a little more on Dan Bongino, the Maga podcaster Donald Trump has named as deputy director of the FBI and who will oversee the bureau alongside newly appointed director Kash Patel. View image in fullscreen Conservative commentator Dan Bongino in 2014. The former Secret Service agent has been picked to be deputy director of the FBI. Photograph: Susan Walsh/AP The president announced the appointment on Sunday night in a post on his Truth Social platform, praising Bongino as “a man of incredible love and passion for our country”. He called the announcement “great news for law enforcement and American justice”. Bongino, 49, is a former police officer and Secret Service agent who served on the presidential details for then-presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush, before becoming a popular rightwing figure. He became one of the leading personalities in the Maga political movement to spread false information about the 2020 election. According to NPR, Bongino becomes the 20th ex-Fox News host, journalist or commentator to be given a senior job in the new Trump administration. The deputy director serves as the FBI’s second-in-command and is traditionally a career agent responsible for the bureau’s day-to-day law enforcement operations. Marco Rubio’s former general counsel, Gregg Nunziata, took to X to criticize the decision: Kash Patel should have been a redline. Bongino is what you get when R Senators fail to do their jobs and say no to Patel. The Trump Admin is turning federal law enforcement over to unqualified, unprincipled, partisan henchmen. It’s unacceptable and conservatives need to say so. Trump names conservative podcaster Dan Bongino as FBI deputy director Read more Share
3h ago 08.39 EST Donald Trump will meet the French president, Emmanuel Macron, at the White House today, on the third anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and in a moment of deep uncertainty about the future of the transatlantic alliance. View image in fullscreen Emmanuel Macron arrives at the West Wing ahead of meetings with Donald Trump at the White House. Photograph: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images In the first visit to the White House by a European leader since Trump’s inauguration and amid alarm in Europe over Trump’s hardening stance toward Ukraine and overtures to Moscow on the three-year war, Macron will use the meeting to try to convince the US president not to rush to a ceasefire deal with Russian president Vladimir Putin, to keep Europe involved, and to maintain some degree of military involvement in Ukraine – and indeed across Europe. In a call on Sunday, Macron and the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, who will also meet Trump at the White House on Thursday, agreed to “show leadership in support of Ukraine” and on the importance of Ukraine being at the centre of any peace negotiations. Macron will make the case for Europe to have a seat at the negotiating table, and float proposals for a 30,000-strong European peacekeeping force in Ukraine once the fighting ends. Starmer has urged Trump to provide a US “backstop” to any such force in Ukraine, saying it is the only way to deter Russia from attacking the country again, and Macron will emphasise this at the meeting. The US president has so far refused to offer any postwar security guarantees to Ukraine. Macron has said agreeing to a bad deal with Russia would amount to a capitulation of Ukraine and would signal weakness to the US’ foes, including China and Iran. In an hour-long Q&A session on social media ahead of his trip to the White House, the French president said: I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President [Putin]. It’s not you, it’s not what you’re made of and it’s not in your interests. Macron and Trump are due to hold bilateral talks and a working lunch ahead of a joint press conference at 2pm ET. We’ll bring you more on what comes out of the meeting as we get it. Share Updated at 09.24 EST
3h ago 07.48 EST Donald Trump’s sweeping foreign aid freeze has stalled a United Nations programme in Mexico aimed at stopping imported fentanyl chemicals from reaching the country’s drug cartels, according to eight people familiar with the situation, Reuters reports. It is one of several US counternarcotics efforts in Mexico derailed in recent weeks by the stop-work order. The initiative provided Mexico’s navy with training and equipment to improve screening of cargo entering and exiting the Port of Manzanillo, the nation’s busiest container port. Two additional Mexican seaports — Lázaro Cárdenas and Veracruz — were to be added this month, a rollout that’s now on hold due to the funding cutoff, six of the people said. White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly did not answer emailed questions from the news agency about the administration’s decision to halt funding for the Mexican port programme. She did say that Trump is acting to secure the border and cut federal spending. Share
4h ago 07.31 EST View image in fullscreen A poster with a map captioned “Gulf of America” is seen as US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office on 21 February 2025. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images A federal judge on Monday is set to consider a request by the Associated Press (AP) to restore full access for the news agency’s journalists after Donald Trump’s administration barred them for continuing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico in coverage. US District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, is scheduled to hear the AP’s motion for a temporary restraining order against the administration at 3pm ET in Washington federal court. The AP sued three senior Trump aides on Friday, arguing that the decision to block its reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One violates the US Constitution’s First Amendment protections against government abridgment of speech by trying to dictate the language they use in reporting the news. The news agency is seeking to immediately restore its access to all areas available to the White House press pool. The AP said in January it would continue to use the gulf’s long-established name in stories while also acknowledging Trump’s efforts to change it. The White House banned AP reporters in response. The ban prevents the AP’s journalists from seeing and hearing Trump and other top White House officials as they take newsworthy actions or respond in real time to news events. Share Updated at 08.14 EST
4h ago 06.53 EST Government workers to be put on administrative leave if they fail to return to the office – Musk Elon Musk said on Monday that starting this week, government workers would be put on administrative leave if they fail to return to the office. Musk, who is leading a downsizing effort at the US government wrote on X: Those who ignored President Trump’s executive order to return to work have now received over a month’s warning. Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave. Share