Fired USAid workers and HIV activists hold ‘die-in’ to protest Trump and Musk

Dozens of demonstrators lie down in government office building to warn against dismantling foreign aid agency

Fired USAid employees and advocates for people with HIV staged a protest in a Capitol office building on Wednesday, warning that Donald Trump’s drive to dismantle the agency tasked with implementing Washington’s foreign aid agenda imperils the fight against the virus.

Wearing white T-shirts that read “Aids funding cuts kill” and chanting “Congress has blood on its hands, unfreeze aid now”, around three dozen protesters lay down in the rotunda of the Cannon House office building, home to the offices of representatives from both parties. Capitol police said about 20 arrests were made of demonstrators who defied their orders to disperse.

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The Trump administration is firing 2,000 USAID workers and putting thousands of others on leave

The Trump administration said that it is eliminating 2,000 positions at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and placing all but a fraction of other staffers worldwide on leave.
NBC News - 3d
Activists to hold vigils to protest death penalty in Singapore as a Malaysian man awaits execution

Rights activists in Singapore and Malaysia will hold candlelight vigils to protest capital punishment as Singaporean authorities prepare to execute a Malaysian man for drug trafficking despite ...
ABC News - Feb. 19
‘A pulse check’: Musk and Trump defend email threatening firing of federal workers

Elon Musk called an email instructing government employees to describe recent accomplishments a “pulse check,” and alleged that paychecks for federal workers may have been going to dead or ...
NBC News - 8h
Former IRS worker on being fired by Trump administration

Jonathan Curry, a media relations specialist at the Internal Revenue Service, joined CBS News with more on losing his job as the Trump administration carries on with efforts to slash spending among ...
CBS News - 2d
Federal workers sue over Musk's threat to fire if they don't explain accomplishments

Attorneys for federal workers say in a lawsuit billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk violated the law with his weekend demand that employees explain their accomplishments or risk being fired
ABC News - 2d
Federal workers demand help from Congress after firings, Musk's ultimatum

Federal workers are struggling to figure out what is happening with their jobs after Elon Musk's ultimatum to document their work or resign. Some are showing up at town halls nationwide, demanding ...
CBS News - 1d
Trump defends Musk’s ‘genius’ email to federal workers

President Trump on Monday defended tech billionaire Elon Musk after pushback over his email demanding federal workers list five accomplishments from the past week and in doing so, raising the of ...
The Hill - 2d
Judge denies bid to block Trump administration from placing USAID workers on leave

President Trump has targeted the U.S. Agency for International Development as part of his plan to shrink the size of the federal government.
CBS News - 5d
Trump’s Firing of Gen. Charles Q. Brown May Have Roots in George Floyd Protests

A four-minute video appears to have been a turning point for the president and Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the ousted Joint Chiefs chairman.
The New York Times - 3d
Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workers, judge rules

US judge rejects bid by group of labor unions to halt president’s government overhaul through Musk-led ‘Doge’. The Trump administration can for now continue its mass firings of federal employees, ...
The Guardian - 6d
Trump administration fires workers at NIH Alzheimer's research center

The center's incoming director was among those terminated.
ABC News - 4d
Forest Service workers fired in Trump cuts warn of "unforeseen consequences"

Every summer, tens of millions of Americans visit National Forests. But this summer, the parks might look a little different. Ian Lee sat down with three Forest Service workers fired amid Trump ...
CBS News - 1d
Eye Opener: President Trump backs Elon Musk's ultimatum for federal workers

More confusion as President Trump backs Elon Musk's ultimatum for federal workers to list their achievements or face the consequences. Also, the U.S. sides with Russia at the U.N. as France's ...
CBS News - 1d
Trump defends Musk as backlash to federal workers ultimatum grows

President intervenes amid first signs of internal dissension as government departments push back. Donald Trump has stepped in to defend Elon Musk from a mounting backlash in his own ...
The Guardian - 22h
Musk dominates, disparages federal workers at first Trump Cabinet meeting

Elon Musk at the first meeting of President Trump’s Cabinet defended his email demanding all federal workers report their accomplishments to his office, calling it a “pulse check” and saying anyone ...
The Hill - 7h
DOGE boss Musk doubles down on federal worker threat: Submit what you did list or get fired

Elon Musk has been tasked by President Donald Trump with slashing federal government spending and the federal employee headcount, an effort known as DOGE.
CNBC - 1d
Conservative Activists Find Direct Access to Elon Musk and DOGE on X

Prominent conservative activists with a presence online have appeared to wield extraordinary access to Elon Musk’s team, and the power to sway policy through it.
The New York Times - 12h
From weather apps to taxes: the trickle-down effects of Trump’s federal worker firings

Gutting of workforce will have far-reaching consequences as advocates warn of playing ‘Russian roulette’ with safety. You wake up to dark clouds outside, so you check the weather on your phone: a ...
The Guardian - 6d
Federal worker fired by Trump administration talks about losing her dream job amid major cuts

Katie Sandlin thought she landed her dream job at the NIH as an educator. She spent her life savings to move from Alabama to just outside Washington, D.C. After only a few weeks on the job, she was ...
CBS News - 5d
Trump Just Fired 6,700 I.R.S. Workers in the Middle of Tax Season. That’s a Huge Mistake.

The Trump administration’s decision to fire over 6,000 I.R.S. workers will make the government less effective and less efficient, not more.
The New York Times - 2d
Trump calls Elon Musk's email ultimatum 'genius' as federal workers and some agencies push back

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday embraced Elon Musk's ultimatum demanding that federal workers report what they had accomplished last week or lose their jobs, a directive facing ...
NBC News - 2d
Trump holds first cabinet meeting

Watch live coverage as President Trump convenes the first cabinet meeting of his new administration, with Elon Musk expected to be in attendance.
NBC News - 11h
At town halls, Republicans feel the heat from Trump and Musk's firing and cutting spree

Republicans members of Congress who held town halls back home this week got an earful from constituents upset about Donald Trump and Elon Musk's firing spree.
NBC News - 5d
Trump's foreign aid freeze halted a crucial program fighting HIV in Africa. Here's what's at stake

The freeze on U.S. foreign aid ordered by President Donald Trump has effectively halted one of the world's most successful responses to a disease
ABC News - 6d
Airlines warned as Chinese navy holds live-fire exercises off Australia

Australia expressed concern to China on Friday over the short notice given by the Chinese navy that it would hold a live-fire exercise in international waters between Australia and New Zealand, ...
NBC News - 5d
Taiwan condemns China for holding "live-fire exercises" off its coast

Taiwan says China violated norms and caused a "high degree of danger" by announcing "live-fire exercises without prior warning" just off its coast.
CBS News - 12h
Firings Expand at Interior Department With Purge of Probationary Workers

More than 2,000 workers at the Interior Department were fired in recent days, according to counts from workers groups and those familiar with the cuts, as probationary workers were targeted across ...
The New York Times - Feb. 19
DOGE Is Working on Software That Automates the Firing of Government Workers

Operatives working for Elon Musk’s DOGE appear to be editing the code of AutoRIF—software designed by the Defense Department that could assist in mass firings of federal workers, sources tell WIRED.
Wired - 1d
Local leaders working to help fired federal workers

Widespread layoffs across federal agencies left thousands without jobs. Now, some local leaders are stepping in to try to help. CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand has more.
CBS News - 48m
Judge gives go-ahead for the Trump administration to gut USAID's workforce

A federal judge paved the way for the Trump administration to move forward with plans to remove thousands of U.S. Agency for International Development workers from their jobs.
NBC News - 5d
Judge 'dissolves' order preventing Trump administration from overhauling USAID

A federal judge moved to "dissolve" a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump administration from hollowing out the U.S. Agency for International Development.
ABC News - 5d
Trump administration eliminating 2,000 USAid positions in US, notice says

All but handful of agency’s personnel around world to be placed on paid leave, according to notice sent to workers. The Trump administration on Sunday said it was placing all but a handful of USAid ...
The Guardian - 3d
'Radical change': Inside Trump's State Department takeover of USAID

A State Department official told leaders of foreign aid groups that U.S. foreign aid funding was undergoing "radical change," according to audio obtained by ABC News.
ABC News - 2d
Some agencies tell employees to hold off responding to latest Musk email

Multiple federal agencies appeared to be caught off guard by the Elon Musk-directed email from the Office of Personnel Management.
ABC News - 3d
Deadline looms for federal workers over Musk’s demand

President Trump praised Elon Musk’s demand for federal workers to outline in an email what they accomplished last week – or face dismissal. But there is also confusion after the Trump ...
NBC News - 2d
Thune urges Musk to treat federal workers 'respectfully'

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Tuesday urged Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to treat federal workers respectfully as they look to cut ...
The Hill - 1d
Trump to hold meetings on Ukraine with French and British leaders

One day after an angry exchange between Presidents Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy met in Kyiv with Keith Kellogg, Mr. Trump's special envoy. A planned joint news ...
CBS News - 6d
Trump holds press conference with French President Macron

Watch live coverage as President Trump and President Macron of France hold a joint press conference at the White House.
NBC News - 2d
Trump approval rating holding at 44 percent: Survey

President Trump’s approval rating is holding firm at 44 percent after his first month back in the Oval Office, according to a survey released this week. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 44 percent ...
The Hill - 11h

More from The Guardian

Hamas returns bodies of four hostages as ceasefire appears to get back on track

Israel releases more Palestinian prisoners in exchange and says identities of deceased Israelis not yet confirmed. Hamas has handed over the bodies of four hostages, and Israel has released some ...
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Trump says no significant security guarantees in Ukraine minerals deal

President says Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit White House to sign ‘very big agreement’, but details remain unclear. Donald Trump has announced that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the White House on ...
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Trump’s first full cabinet meeting celebrates government-shrinking effort led by Musk

Tech billionaire, who is not a member of the cabinet and described himself as ‘humble tech support’, warns without evidence that US could ‘go bankrupt’. US politics live – latest updates ...
The Guardian - 6h
Michelle Trachtenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl actor, dies aged 39

The actor was found at a New York apartment on Wednesday, with the cause of death unknown but not being treated as suspicious. Michelle Trachtenberg: a life in pictures The actor Michelle ...
The Guardian - 5h
Washington Post opinion editor departs as Bezos pushes to promote ‘personal liberties and free markets’

Opinion editor leaves as Amazon executive and newspaper owner says ‘viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others’. Don’t let a billionaire’s algorithm control what you ...
The Guardian - 2h