Musk’s DOGE gains access to Medicare, Medicaid data systems: Live Updates

Americans trust Trump on economy but don’t like Elon Musk in charge: Polls

Americans are souring on Elon Musk but approve of President Donald Trump‘s handling of the economy in the earliest weeks of his second term, according to recent polls.

Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a nongovernmental task force aimed at cutting unnecessary federal spending. The extent of these cuts is unclear at this point, but major government agencies could see widespread reductions.

However, skeptics are concerned that critical government services could be affected. Criticism also grew after an Associated Press report that DOGE officials have accessed sensitive information about Americans through the U.S. Treasury payment systems.

A YouGov/The Economist poll, conducted among 1,604 Americans from February 2 to 4, found that more Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy than those who don’t. Forty-four percent of respondents gave him positive marks on the economy, compared with the 39 percent who don’t approve of his handling of it.

However, the respondents were less sold on Musk’s influence on the government.

Read the full story by Andrew Stanton on Newsweek.

Sen. Warner warns Trump’s foreign aid freeze could benefit China

Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, cautioned that Trump’s freeze on foreign aid could strengthen China’s global influence. Speaking on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, Warner argued that cutting U.S. foreign assistance could have costly consequences.

“There’s no member of the Intelligence Committee or defense community that doesn’t say the pennies we spend on foreign aid is a lot cheaper in certain cases than sending in our military,” Warner said.

He pointed out that foreign aid accounts for less than half of 1% of the federal budget but plays a crucial role in global stability. Without U.S. support, Warner warned that China would step in to fill the void, expanding its influence through strategic aid investments.

Thousands of federal workers opt into Trump administration’s deferred resignation program

At least 50,000 federal employees have chosen to participate in the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program, which allows them to leave their jobs while continuing to receive pay through the end of September, according to an administration official.

The deadline for employees to opt in is 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday. The program, offered to roughly 2 million federal workers, is part of a broader effort to reduce the size of the federal workforce. However, those who decline the offer may face layoffs, per CNN.

While the Office of Personnel Management has called the program a “rare, generous opportunity,” federal unions have advised employees against accepting it, citing legal concerns and doubts over the administration’s ability to uphold its commitments.

Community health centers are closing amid funding confusion

Following an order by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to freeze grants and loans, some of the community health centers in Virginia have been forced to close their branches.

“The National Association of Community Health Centers continues to actively monitor and respond to reports of Community Health Centers experiencing delays in drawing down grant funds,” Amy Simmons Farber, the associate vice president of communications and public relations, told Newsweek. “Our ongoing engagement with bipartisan Congressional leaders and the Trump administration focuses on maintaining stable funding for the Health Center Program, which provides essential care to 32.5 million Americans.”

Newsweek reached out to the Virginia Community Healthcare Association and the Department of Health and Human Services via email for comment.

On January 27, the acting director of the OMB, Matthew Vaeth, issued a memo titled “Temporary Pause of Agency, Grant, Loan and Other Financial Assistance Programs,” which required federal agencies to temporarily pause “all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by [President Donald Trump‘s] executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.”

In 2021, the U.S. government provided nearly $1.3 trillion to state and local governments through federal grants, according to USAFacts.

Read the full story by Monica Sager on Newsweek.

Klobuchar slams Trump during speech

Senator Amy Klobuchar recently took a jab at former Trump, poking fun at his controversial attempt to purchase Greenland.

During a speech, she quipped, “What is the difference between Greenland and Donald Trump? Greenland is not for sale.”

After the crowd’s reaction, she added, “For any Republican Trump Administration person who wants to throw eggs at me because of that joke, you can’t because they’re too expensive.”

Trump to sign executive order sanctioning International Criminal Court

Trump is set to sign an executive order on Thursday that will impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC). The White House confirmed that the order will target individuals and their families who assist in ICC investigations involving U.S. citizens or its allies, including Israel, Reuters reported.

The sanctions will include financial and visa restrictions. The move comes as the U.S. continues to oppose the ICC’s efforts to investigate actions involving American and allied forces.

Pro-PEPFAR protesters block traffic on Constitution Avenue

Protesters advocating for the continuation of the U.S. government’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program have blocked traffic on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.

Top Democrats demand details on Trump’s plans to dismantle Education Department

Top Democrats on the Senate and House committees overseeing the Education Department are pushing for answers about the Trump administration’s plans to dismantle the agency. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee ranking member Bernie Sanders and House Education Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro, along with other congressional Democrats, have sent a letter to the department’s acting secretary.

The lawmakers are requesting information on several key issues, including access to sensitive department data, measures to protect it, communications regarding employees placed on leave, and any actions related to blocked or terminated grant funding.

The push for information comes ahead of Trump’s nominee to lead the Education Department, Linda McMahon, who is set to testify at her confirmation hearing before the Senate panel next Thursday.

Rep. Tim Burchett discusses U.S. willingness to accept displaced Palestinians

Rep. Tim Burchett, when asked about the U.S. accepting Palestinians who may be displaced by Trump’s proposal to rebuild Gaza, expressed openness but emphasized strict conditions. In an interview with CNN, Burchett acknowledged that Palestinians already living in the U.S. are contributing members of society, citing examples from Knoxville, Tennessee, where he described them as “some of the finest people.”

Burchett clarified, however, that if displaced Palestinians were to relocate to the U.S., they would need sponsors and must not harbor extremist views. He stressed the importance of ensuring that individuals coming to the U.S. do not pose a threat to national security.

The conversation also touched on the broader topic of refugee resettlement, where Burchett stated that a clear “litmus test” should be applied to individuals seeking entry. He pointed to existing concerns over untracked populations within the country, including potential security risks from groups like the Taliban and Chinese spies.

Treasury Department officials blocked payments under Trump’s executive order

Just days after Trump’s inauguration, top officials at the Treasury Department, under the direction of Elon Musk’s associates, demanded that the department immediately halt all USAID payments using its sensitive payment processing system. The request, which deviated from the department’s standard operations, raised concerns among officials, CNN reported.

David Lebryk, acting secretary of the Treasury at the time, pushed back, questioning the legal authority to stop the payments, which had already been authorized and certified by USAID. He suggested that the State Department, which oversees USAID, should rescind the payments to comply with Trump’s executive order freezing foreign development aid.

In response, Tom Krause, a former tech executive now leading the Treasury Department’s efficiency staff, warned that Lebryk could face legal repercussions for not complying with the directive. This email exchange marks the first known attempt by the Treasury to block payments as part of the administration’s broader political agenda.

The incident has sparked a heated debate in Washington, raising questions about the administration’s access to Treasury systems and its ability to manipulate payments for political purposes. Emergency court proceedings have since been initiated to address these concerns.

Congress could save federal agencies from Trump. Here’s how

A legal analyst told Newsweek that Congress could stop President Donald Trump from dismantling federal agencies.

Trump, who returned to office last month, has announced plans to dismantle key federal agencies, including the Department of Education, and has begun defunding others, such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The cuts are likely to have significant effects in the U.S. and abroad. The Department of Education alone employs about 4,400 people and has a $68 billion budget, according to the agency’s latest data. It also supplies federal student aid, distributing more than $115 billion annually in grants, loans and work-study funds for higher education.

Read the full story by Sean O’Driscoll on Newsweek.

Trump’s education secretary pick Linda McMahon faces Senate confirmation

Linda McMahon, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of education, will testify before the Senate HELP Committee next Thursday for her confirmation hearing, the committee confirmed today.

Democrats on the committee are expected to scrutinize McMahon over the president’s proposal to abolish the Department of Education. According to sources close to the plans, Trump is preparing an executive order to dissolve the department.

Trump has repeatedly promised to eliminate the department, stating in a September 2023 video that, if elected, he would “close up the Department of Education in Washington, D.C.” and shift education responsibilities back to the states.

The push to disband the department, which was established during President Jimmy Carter’s administration in 1979, is a key part of Trump’s Project 2025. Recently, Republican Reps. Thomas Massie and David Rouzer introduced bills to eliminate the department, with Massie’s proposal gaining 27 co-sponsors from the GOP.

Panama’s president denies deal for US ships to use canal for free

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino refuted the U.S. State Department’s assertion that Panama had agreed to permit U.S. warships to pass through the Panama Canal for free.

On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that “U.S. government vessels can now transit the Panama Canal without charge fees, saving the U.S. government millions of dollars a year.”

“I completely reject that statement yesterday,” Mulino said during his weekly press conference Thursday.

The Panama Canal Authority said in a statement on X Wednesday that no adjustments had been made to charges.

Read the full story by Daniel Orton on Newsweek.

OPINION: Donald Trump’s plan to blot out the sun

There’s a classic two-part episode of the Simpsons in which billionaire Mr. Burns devises a dastardly scheme to block out the sun, making all of Springfield reliant on the energy delivered by his nuclear power plant. We’re living through a real-life version of this scenario (metaphorically).

Transparency is the sunlight of democracy. It’s a simple concept—without transparency, we can’t see what’s going on. At every turn, President Donald Trump and his oligarchic allies, the real-life embodiment of Mr. Burns, are trying to blot out the sun by filling the skies with so much bull**** that no one knows what’s what.

Consider Trump’s alliance with the billionaire tech bro class. He and Elon Musk have combined to turn Twitter into an extremely online conservative’s fever dream. Trump has also browbeaten Mark Zuckerberg into dumping content moderation and fact-checking from Facebook, Instagram and any other Meta properties, as well as dumping on the journalists who do the fact checking in the first place. And despite getting the ball rolling on a TikTok ban during his first administration, Trump has managed to set himself up as the app’s savior, with the Chinese social media company all too happy to play along.

Read the full op-ed by Executive Director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) USA Clayton Weimers on Newsweek.

Trump administration focuses on keeping Treasury yields low, says Treasury Secretary

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated Wednesday that the Trump administration is prioritizing efforts to keep Treasury yields low rather than directly influencing the Federal Reserve’s actions. In an interview with Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, Bessent explained that the administration is using fiscal policy tools to maintain low rates, with a focus on the 10-year Treasury yield instead of the federal funds rate.

“The president wants lower rates,” Bessent said. “He and I are focused on the 10-year Treasury and what is the yield of that.” Historically, the federal funds rate has influenced a wide range of borrowing rates, including those for car loans and mortgages, but Bessent emphasized that Trump is no longer pressing the Fed to cut rates, as he did in his first term.

Bessent also outlined the administration’s strategy for economic growth, including deregulation, tax reforms, and energy policy. “If we deregulate the economy, if we get this tax bill done, if we get energy down, then rates will take care of themselves,” Bessent said.

Despite rate cuts by the Fed beginning in September 2024, Treasury yields have continued to rise, while market-based inflation expectations have increased. As of Wednesday, the 10-year Treasury yield stood at 4.45%, down from a mid-January peak of 4.8%.

Krishna Guha from Evercore ISI noted that Bessent’s strategy of focusing on Treasury yields aligns with concerns that exceeding a 5% 10-year yield could disrupt Trump’s economic policies, potentially causing declines in sectors sensitive to interest rates, such as equities and housing.

Trump calls for stronger religious presence in U.S. during National Prayer Breakfast

During this morning’s National Prayer Breakfast, Trump urged lawmakers to refocus on bringing religion back into American life.

“We have to bring religion back. We have to bring it back much stronger,” Trump said while speaking inside Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. “It’s one of the biggest problems that we’ve had over the last fairly long period of time. We have to bring it back.”

In addition to his remarks on religion, Trump announced he has signed an executive order to establish a new national park dedicated to honoring the nation’s greatest figures. “We’re going to be honoring our heroes, honoring the greatest people. It would be called the National Garden of American heroes,” Trump said, suggesting that some members of Congress could be included in the recognition.

Could IRS tax refunds be delayed by Trump’s policies?

President Donald Trump‘s recent executive orders, including a federal hiring freeze and a mandate for remote federal employees to return to in-office work, have raised concerns about potential delays in tax refunds during the 2025 tax filing season.

With the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) processing about 140 million tax returns annually and issuing refunds averaging $3,100 per filer, even minor slowdowns could affect millions of Americans.

Will Trump’s Executive Orders Affect IRS Tax Filing Season?

One of Trump’s latest executive orders places an indefinite hiring freeze across federal agencies, including the IRS.

This means new jobs at the agency cannot be filled, and job offers extended to employees set to start after February 8 have been rescinded.

Another executive order requiring federal employees working remotely to return to the office could accelerate early retirements at the IRS, further straining staffing levels. The hiring freeze also prevents the IRS from replacing workers lost to retirement.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has the authority to lift the hiring freeze, but he has given no indication that he plans to do so.

With fewer employees available to process returns, taxpayers may experience longer wait times for refunds.

Read the full story by Daniel Cody on Newsweek.

Musk announces DOGE’s plan to improve air traffic control system

Elon Musk shared on X that, with the support of Trump, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team will work to implement rapid safety upgrades to the U.S. air traffic control system. This comes in the wake of a recent failure in the FAA’s primary aircraft safety notification system, which was down for several hours.

Secretary Sean Duffy also confirmed the news, stating that DOGE is set to assist in upgrading the aviation system.

Trump signs executive order for new national park

President Donald Trump recently commented on the importance of faith in shaping the American story, citing historical figures like George Washington, John Winthrop, and Roger Williams.

In line with these remarks, Trump announced that he has signed an Executive Order to restart the process of creating a new national park. The park will feature statues of some of the greatest Americans in history, further celebrating the country’s legacy and values.

Philip Mudd discusses DOJ investigation, CIA buyouts, and risks of unclassified email

On CNN This Morning, former FBI senior intelligence adviser and former CIA counterterrorism officer Philip Mudd shared his insights on several critical topics, including the Department of Justice’s ongoing investigation into FBI agents involved in January 6th cases, CIA workforce buyouts, and the recent White House order for the CIA to send out an unclassified email listing recently hired employees.

Mudd expressed concern over the potential security risks of exposing the real names of new CIA hires, noting how foreign intelligence agencies, particularly China, could exploit this information. “You just gave the Chinese a gift,” he said, explaining how seemingly innocuous data could be used in combination with other publicly available information to target CIA personnel.

On the topic of CIA buyouts, Mudd was skeptical, remarking that offering incentives to leave the agency would likely face resistance from employees, who are often driven by a sense of mission rather than financial gain.

He warned that the move could hurt future recruitment efforts, particularly given the difficulty of attracting talent willing to relocate to Washington, D.C., and serve in high-stakes intelligence roles.

OPM offers deferred resignations to 2 million federal workers

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) informed around 2 million federal workers last week that they could take “deferred resignations,” allowing them to resign while still receiving pay through September. According to a source familiar with the matter, more than 40,000 workers have already accepted the offer.

Today marks the deadline for federal employees to decide whether to take the package.

Trump to speak at National Prayer Breakfast after Capitol remarks

Trump will attend the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday morning, continuing a long-standing tradition of presidents participating in the event.

He is set to deliver remarks in Statuary Hall at the Capitol before heading to the Washington Hilton, where the annual gathering takes place. The event, which brings together lawmakers, faith leaders, and dignitaries, has been a fixture in Washington for more than 70 years.

Every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has spoken at the breakfast.

Ivanka Trump used USAID money for events, records show

Ivanka Trump used money from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to record equipment for a White House event, USAID documents show.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Ivanka Trump for comment via email.

The revelation that Ivanka Trump’s initiatives used USAID funds for events comes at a time when the agency itself is facing increased scrutiny. With discussions underway about potentially shutting down USAID or significantly restructuring its budget, how the agency allocated its funds—especially during the Trump administration—is under the microscope.

It comes amid the Trump administration’s drive to end all diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the federal government, with Trump issuing an executive order on his first day in office ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Republicans have claimed that money allocated towards DEI by USAID is wasteful.

According to USAID documents, Ivanka Trump used over $11,000 from the department in 2019 to buy video recording and reproducing equipment for a White House event.

The documents show $11,539 was to used by Trump in November 2019 to purchase software, CDs, tapes and records.

The purchase was approved by Jenifer Healy, who was serving as USAID deputy chief of staff at the time, and the Administrator’s Office. It is not clear which White House event the equipment was used for.

Read the full story by Martha McHardy on Newsweek.