The Republican-led Senate is expected to confirm a chief architect of Project 2025 as director of the Office of Management and Budget on Thursday, despite round-the-clock speeches by Democrats who lack the votes to stop it. Russ Vought is working closely with Elon Musk to vastly reduce the size and capacity of the federal government, the nation's largest employer.
While Vought awaits confirmation, Musk has orchestrated an for people to leave their government jobs, promising several months of pay in return for their resignation. More than 2 million workers face a deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST Thursday to decide if they should leave.
Shockwaves continue from Trump's proposal to take over the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and redevelop it without its 2.3 million Palestinians. across the Middle East with the exception of Israel, which said it has begun preparations to move them out by land, sea and air. Human Rights Watch and other groups say it would amount to 鈥渆thnic cleansing,鈥 the forced removal of an entire population through violence.
Here's the latest:
Judge temporarily limits DOGE access to Treasury
Two Elon Musk allies have 鈥渞ead only鈥 access to Treasury Department payment systems, but no one else will get access for now, including Musk himself, under a court order signed Thursday.
It comes in a lawsuit filed by federal workers unions trying to stop the billionaire鈥檚 Department of Government Efficiency from following through on what they call a massive privacy invasion.
Two Musk allies, Marko Elez and Tom Krause, have been made 鈥渟pecial government employees鈥 and already have access to the system, government attorneys have said.
The temporary order blocks further access by DOGE as U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly considers the case.
So who鈥檚 right on free passage for US warships in the Panama Canal?
Related to , the U.S. State Department said late Wednesday on X that the Panamanians had agreed to allow U.S. warships to transit the Panama Canal without charge.
But , saying Thursday he had told U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a day earlier that he could neither set the fees to transit the canal nor exempt anyone from them, so he was surprised by the statement suggesting otherwise.
The State Department had no immediate comment Thursday.
The fees had been one focus of President Donald Trump鈥檚 complaints about the canal, which he has threatened to retake from Panama unless Panama severely limits Chinese influence in the area.
US plans to seize Venezuelan president鈥檚 plane during Rubio鈥檚 Dominican Republic visit
The Trump administration plans to seize a jet that belongs to Venezuelan President 's government.
U.S. Secretary of State will announce the seizure on Thursday in the Dominican Republic, the last stop of his Latin American tour, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter and a State Department document obtained by The Associated Press. Publicly, the State Department calls it a 鈥渓aw enforcement engagement.鈥
Carrying out the seizure required Rubio to get Justice Department approval and to free up more than $230,000 in frozen foreign aid to cover storage and maintenance fees.
The U.S. seized another of Maduro鈥檚 planes from the Dominican Republic
The State Department document says this plane is a Dassault Falcon 200 that Maduro and top aides used to travel the world in violation of U.S. sanctions.
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America Everywhere? Even allies are confused
Candidate promised voters an administration that wouldn鈥檛 waste precious American lives and taxpayer treasure on far-off wars and nation-building.
But just weeks into his second term, President Trump is proposing to use American power to and to from Denmark.
The rhetorical shift from to America Everywhere is flummoxing some of his allies.
鈥淭he pursuit for peace should be that of the Israelis and the Palestinians,鈥 . 鈥淚 thought we voted for America First. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers鈥 blood.鈥
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Democrats and unions warn that federal workers could be stiffed
Democrats said workers shouldn鈥檛 accept the deferred resignation program because it wasn鈥檛 authorized by Congress, raising the risk they won鈥檛 get paid. Unions have sued to stop Trump鈥檚 plans, and a judge will consider whether to block the offer at a hearing Thursday afternoon in Boston.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a scam and not a buyout,鈥 said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. 鈥淚f it was me, I wouldn鈥檛 do it.鈥
An employee at the Department of Education who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation said the administration appears desperate to get people to sign, but there are too many red flags, such as a clause waiving the right to sue if the government fails to honor its side of the deal.
By Chris Megerian, Collin Binkley and Byron Tau.
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This second Trump administration has already clashed with religious leaders
When the Rev. Mariann Budde to Americans scared about his second term in office, the president retorted online that she was 鈥渘ot very good at her job鈥 and owed the public an apology. Catholic has jabbed at top US leaders of his own church over immigration issues.
Many clergy across the country are worried about the removal of churches from the list. And are among those that were left scrambling after federal aid was cut off.
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Trump: 鈥楲et鈥檚 bring religion back鈥
, Trump said his relationship with religion had 鈥渃hanged鈥 after a pair of failed assassination attempts last year, as he advocated for Americans to 鈥渂ring God back into our lives.鈥
鈥淚 really believe you can鈥檛 be happy without religion, without that belief,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 bring religion back. Let鈥檚 bring God back into our lives.鈥
Trump reflected on having a bullet coming within a hair鈥檚 breadth of killing him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, telling lawmakers and attendees, 鈥淚t changed something in me, I feel.鈥
鈥淚 feel even stronger,鈥 he continued. 鈥淚 believed in God, but I feel, I feel much more strongly about it. Something happened.鈥
The president, who鈥檚 a nondenominational Christian, called religious liberty 鈥減art of the bedrock of American life鈥 and called for protecting it with 鈥渁bsolute devotion.鈥
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Trump鈥檚 team tried to walk back his Gaza comments. He鈥檚 still commenting
Trump said Palestinians would be 鈥渞esettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region.鈥
He added that the U.S. would work 鈥渨ith great development teams from all over the World,鈥 and 鈥渟lowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth.鈥
Trump reasserted his commitment to his Gaza plan the day after his top diplomat and his chief spokesperson walked back that the president is advocating for the permanent relocation of Palestinians from Gaza, after American allies and even Republican lawmakers rejected the U.S. taking 鈥渙wnership鈥 of the territory.
Trump says his Gaza rehab plan can be done without US troops
President Donald Trump says 鈥渘o soldiers by the U.S. would be needed鈥 to carry out his proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and redevelop the war-torn territory.
The comments come two days after Trump, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, suggested relocating Gaza residents and redeveloping the land for people from around the world.
鈥淭he Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting,鈥 Trump said in a posting on his Truth Social platform.
Senate Democrats lack the votes to stop budget director confirmation
The Republican-led Senate is expected to confirm a chief architect of as director of the Office of Management and Budget on Thursday.
Senate Democrats vowed to give around-the-clock speeches to protest Trump鈥檚 nomination of Russ Vought to the influential position, and all 47 said they would vote against him. But as the minority party in the Senate, that鈥檚 not enough to stop his confirmation.
Vought also is influential in the effort to broadly dismantle the federal government, led by .
The history of the 好色tv Prayer Breakfast
Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to attend the prayer breakfast, in February 1953, and every president since has spoken at the gathering.
Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas are the honorary co-chairs of this year鈥檚 event.
In 2023, the 好色tv Prayer Breakfast , the one on Capitol Hill largely attended by lawmakers and government officials and a larger private event for thousands at a hotel ballroom. The split occurred when lawmakers sought to distance themselves from the private religious group that for decades had overseen the bigger event, due to questions about its organization and how it was funded.
In 2023 and 2024, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, , and his remarks were livestreamed to the other gathering.
Trump attended the official prayer breakfast and will also speak at a separate prayer breakfast at a Washington hotel sponsored by a private group.
Trump says his Gaza rehab plan can be done without US troops
President Donald Trump says 鈥渘o soldiers by the U.S. would be needed鈥 to carry out his proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and redevelop the war-torn territory.
The comments come two days after Trump, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side, laid out his vision for relocating Gaza residents and redeveloping the land for people from around the world.
鈥淭he Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting,鈥 Trump said in a posting on his Truth Social platform. He added that Palestinians would be 鈥渞esettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region.鈥
He added that the U.S. would work 鈥渨ith great development teams from all over the World,鈥 and 鈥渟lowly and carefully begin the construction of what would become one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth.鈥
Trump reasserted his commitment to his Gaza plan the day after his top diplomat and his chief spokesperson walked back that the president is advocating for the permanent relocation of Palestinians from Gaza, after American allies and even Republican lawmakers rejected the U.S. taking 鈥渙wnership鈥 of the territory.
Senate Democrats pulling an all-nighter to protest Vought
The Republican-led Senate is expected to confirm a chief architect of as director of the Office of Management and Budget on Thursday.
Senate Democrats vowed to give around-the-clock speeches to protest Trump鈥檚 nomination of Russ Vought to the influential position, and all 47 of them said they would vote against him. But as the minority party in the Senate, that鈥檚 not enough to stop his confirmation.
Vought also is influential in the effort to broadly dismantle the federal government, led by .
