Fogel reflects on time in Russian prison; Trump empowers Musk to slash federal workforce

Marc Fogel, an American school teacher who was detained in Russia for more than three years, was welcomed at the White House Wednesday night where he said he's still processing his time in captivity. CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand has more on that and the president's executive order empowering Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to cut the federal workforce.

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Details hazy on deal to release American Marc Fogel from Russian captivity

It's still unclear how officials negotiated the deal for American teacher Marc Fogel's release from Russian captivity. Another American could be freed Wednesday. CBS News White House reporter Aaron ...
CBS News - 31m
Top Trump official Witkoff ‘not sure’ if Fogel exchanged for Russian prisoner

The Trump official who helped negotiate the release of an American held in prison in Russia for over three years said in an interview with NewsNation that he wouldn’t comment on whether the U.S. ...
The Hill - 53m
Elon Musk defends federal cuts, insists he has no conflict of interest

During a joint press conference appearance with President Trump Tuesday in the Oval Office, Elon Musk said his DOGE group was fighting waste, and defended the deep cuts that he has been making. ...
CBS News - 1h
Jim Jordan backs Elon Musk’s authority to cut federal government

“It's something that people evaluated and voted for on November 5,” the Ohio Republican said.
Politico - 2d
What to know about American Marc Fogel's release from Russian captivity

American teacher Marc Fogel, who had been held in Russia since 2021, is back on U.S. soil after his release from captivity. CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O'Keefe has ...
CBS News - 2h
Jailed Russian released in US in exchange for Marc Fogel: Kremlin

The Kremlin said early Wednesday that American Marc Fogel's release came in conjunction with the Trump administration granting freedom to a Russian citizen held in a U.S. prison — though they were ...
The Hill - 2h
Russian held in US to be freed in exchange for Fogel release, Kremlin says

Detained in Russia since 2021, Fogel landed back in the U.S. on Tuesday.
ABC News - 2h
Russian rouble surges after release of Marc Fogel

Currency jumps nearly 3% against US dollar on growing hopes of end to Ukraine war
Financial Times - 4h
Appearing With Trump, Musk Makes Broad Claims of Federal Fraud Without Proof

The billionaire, whose federal cost-cutting team has been operating in secrecy, asserted that he had uncovered waste and fraud across the bureaucracy, without offering evidence.
The New York Times - 9h
Trump meets with Marc Fogel after release from Russia

Marc Fogel returned to the United States on Tuesday after spending more than three years in prison in Russia, expressing his appreciation to President Trump during an emotional meeting at the White ...
The Hill - 11h
American teacher Marc Fogel arrives in U.S. after Russian captivity | Special Report

Pennsylvanian teacher Marc Fogel arrived on U.S. soil Tuesday night after Russia held him in captivity for more than three years. President Trump welcomed Fogel at the White House. CBS News senior ...
CBS News - 11h
Russia Releases Marc Fogel After Talks With Trump Envoy

The Kremlin freed Marc Fogel, a teacher held for more than three years on drug charges, in a deal negotiated by Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Middle East envoy.
The New York Times - 12h
Trump 2nd term live updates: Trump signs order to slash federal workforce

Elon Musk joined President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, where he took questions from the media for the first time.
ABC News - 14h
Medical research in jeopardy as Trump seeks to slash funding

Grants from the National Institutes of Health have helped create breakthroughs in cancer treatments, heart disease and vaccine development. But scientists from some of the nation's top medical labs ...
CBS News - 14h
Trump signs executive order empowering DOGE; what's next for the Middle East

President Trump welcomed the king of Jordan to the White House on Tuesday, just one day after threatening to withhold aid to the Middle Eastern nation if it does not take in Palestinian refugees. ...
CBS News - 15h
American Teacher Marc Fogel Released From Russian Prison

In a deal negotiated by the Trump administration, American teacher Marc Fogel is on his way home to the U.S. after over three years detention in Russia. The U.S. said he was wrongfully detained. ...
NBC News - 15h
Trump empowers Musk by ordering agencies to cooperate with Doge

President’s order notes agency heads ‘will undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force’ with some exceptions. Donald Trump handed Elon Musk even more control over the federal government by ...
The Guardian - 16h
Family of Marc Fogel reacts to his release from Russian prison: "It's extraordinary"

After three-and-a-half years of imprisonment in Russia, Butler, Pennsylvania, native Marc Fogel is returning home.
CBS News - 16h
Marc Fogel, American detained in Russia, freed after visit by Trump envoy

The White House announced Tuesday that it has negotiated the release of Marc Fogel, an American teacher who was imprisoned in Russia.
CBS News - 18h
Fetterman commends Trump, envoy on Marc Fogel release

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) commended President Trump for coordinating the release of American Marc Fogel from Russian detainment. “Marc Fogel’s return home is long overdue — and I know all of ...
The Hill - 18h
Marc Fogel released from Russia after talks with Trump envoy

White House claims detained teacher was freed after ‘show of good faith’ by Moscow
Financial Times - 19h
Federal employees deserve respect — not Elon Musk

In the name of “efficiency,” the Trump administration is waging a cruel war on federal employees, who now live in chaos and fear.
The Hill - 23h
Elon Musk’s assault on the US federal bureaucracy

Supposed efficiency drive is providing cover for a power grab by the executive branch
Financial Times - 1d
Musk doubles down on attacks on federal judges

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk is doubling down on his attacks of federal judges in the wake of court actions blocking multiple Trump administration efforts. In a ...
The Hill - 2d
An American Teacher Went to Ukraine. Now He’s in a Russian Prison.

Stephen Hubbard was a wanderer. But when he moved to Ukraine, the war brought arrest, torture and imprisonment. He turns 73 this week.
The New York Times - 2d
Federal judge blocks Elon Musk’s access to US Treasury data

Order follows legal challenge by 19 Democratic state attorneys-general over risk to sensitive information
Financial Times - 3d
Judges block Musk's efforts to slash federal spending

Federal judges block President Trump and Elon Musk's attempts to slash spending and reshape the federal workforce. NBC News' Aaron Gilchrist reports.
NBC News - 3d
Trump questions whether Time Magazine 'still in business' after Musk cover reveal

President Trump weighed in on Time Magazine's reveal of a cover featuring tech billionaire Elon Musk, seemingly mocking the outlet that named him its "Person of the Year" in 2024. Asked on Friday ...
The Hill - 3d
Musk Wields Scythe on Federal Work Force, With Trump’s Full Blessing

The president defended Elon Musk’s role in seeking to slash budgets and cut payrolls as the young aides burrowing into federal agencies came under scrutiny.
The New York Times - 3d
Will a Time Magazine Cover Drive a Wedge Between Trump and Musk?

The cover of the venerable newsweekly, long an object of fixation for the president, put Elon Musk behind the Resolute Desk.
The New York Times - 4d
Trump says Elon Musk and DOGE will review "just about" every federal agency

President Trump said nearly every federal agency in the U.S. government could fall under the scrutiny of Elon Musk and the White House's Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. CBS News ...
CBS News - 4d
Trump knocks Time Magazine after it puts Musk on cover

President Trump on Friday criticized Time Magazine after the publication put Elon Musk on its cover, saying he "didn't even know" it was still in business. Plus, tensions are growing between House ...
CBS News - 4d
Trump says Musk will review "just about" every federal agency

In a press conference with the Japanese prime minister, President Trump indicated Elon Musk has wide latitude to review nearly every federal agency.
CBS News - 4d
The Slash-and-Burn Tactics Musk Brings to Washington Often Backfired at Twitter

Can Elon Musk’s track record at X help predict the results of his current exploits within the U.S. federal government?
Inc. - 4d
USAID Workforce Slashed From 10,000 to Under 300 as Elon Musk’s DOGE Decimates Agency

The US government’s primary foreign aid organization is losing the vast majority of its staff, forcing the agency’s lifesaving work to screech to a halt.
Wired - 5d
Federal Employees Push Back on Trump’s Job Slashing Drive

Civil servants, officials, and outside groups are challenging Trump’s frenzied orders to slash federal agencies and headcounts, often denouncing them as illegal.
Inc. - 5d