The acting attorney general on Monday fired more than a dozen prosecutors who worked on the two criminal investigations into Donald J. Trump for the special counsel Jack Smith, saying they could not be trusted to “faithfully implement” the president’s agenda, a Justice Department spokesman said. Justice Department veterans called the firings an egregious violation … Read more
The White House budget office has ordered a pause in grants, loans and other federal financial assistance, according to a memo sent to government agencies on Monday, potentially paralyzing a vast swath of programs and jeopardizing spending that Congress has mandated by law. In the two-page memo, Matthew J. Vaeth, the acting director of the … Read more
The Senate on Monday voted 68 to 29 to confirm Scott Bessent to be President Trump’s Treasury secretary, putting in place the new administration’s top economic official who will steer an agenda that is focused on tax cuts, tariffs and deregulation. Mr. Bessent, a billionaire hedge fund manager with deep experience in financial markets, is … Read more
The Trump administration on Monday ordered former staff members for as many as 17 fired inspectors general to immediately arrange for the return of work laptops, phones, parking decals and ID cards — even as questions remained over whether President Trump broke the law in dismissing independent watchdogs. Some of the fired officials were seeking … Read more
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived on Monday for his first full day leading the Pentagon, vowing to support President Trump’s priorities of sealing the U.S. border with Mexico, using military planes to deport migrants with uncertain or contested legal status and increasing the military’s combat readiness. The Pentagon last week rushed 1,500 active-duty Marines and … Read more
A federal inmate sued the Trump administration on Sunday, challenging an executive order that requires the Bureau of Prisons to house transgender women in U.S. prisons designated for men and to stop providing prisoners with gender-transition medical treatments. Referred to by the pseudonym Maria Moe in court papers, the prisoner is described as a transgender … Read more
The head of the Justice Department’s public integrity section has resigned after he was unwilling to accept a forced transfer by Trump administration officials who wanted him to work on immigration instead. The chief, Corey Amundson, was informed of his reassignment in recent days. Mr. Amundson was one of many senior career officials told he … Read more
The government of Denmark has not historically been a big spender on Washington lobbying. But days before President Trump took office for a second time, Denmark’s embassy started shopping for a lobbyist with ties to the new president, who has loudly proclaimed his intention to try to take over the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland. … Read more
In the end it took only about 12 hours for President Trump’s first head-to-head confrontation with one of the United States’ closest allies in Latin America, a blowup over Columbia’s rejection of U.S. military flights to return illegal immigrants, to result in a complete retreat by the target of Mr. Trump’s threats. It wasn’t much … Read more
In his first week in office, President Trump made clear that his promises to exact revenge on his perceived enemies were not empty campaign pledges — and that his retribution is intended not just to impose punishment for the past but also to intimidate anyone who might cross him in the future. By removing security … Read more