Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba came to the White House on Friday near midday and was expected to spend a little more than two hours with Trump for a working lunch and a joint news conference before making the return trip to Tokyo.
Meanwhile, forced leaves pulling all but a small fraction of staffers of the off the job around the world began Friday. Employee associations have turned to federal courts to try to roll back the new Trump administration鈥檚 swift dismantling of the six-decade-old aid agency and its programs worldwide.
Here's the latest:
Democrats ask for an investigation into DOGE鈥檚 access to Treasury鈥檚 payment systems
Democratic lawmakers are seeking a Treasury Department investigation of the access that Elon 惭耻蝉办鈥檚 team was given to the government鈥檚 payment system.
They're citing 鈥渢hreats to the economy and national security, and the potential violation of laws protecting Americans鈥 privacy and tax data.鈥
The lawmakers, led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden, sent letters Friday to Treasury鈥檚 deputy inspector general and the acting inspector general for tax administration, as well as to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The letters laid out their concerns over a lack of transparency and public accountability about the access being granted to the federal government鈥檚 financial plumbing.
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Federal judge schedules hearing on USAID lawsuit
A federal judge scheduled a hearing Friday afternoon as employees sue to block the agency鈥檚 shutdown.
Outside its Washington headquarters, meanwhile, crews used duct tape to cover the USAID name on signs.
The American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees asked the court in Washington to compel the reopening of USAID鈥檚 buildings, return its staffers to work and restore funding.
Trump administration officials 鈥渇ailed to acknowledge the catastrophic consequences of their actions, both as they pertain to American workers, the lives of millions around the world, and to US national interests,鈥 the lawsuit says.
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Federal agencies ordered to provide lists of 鈥榩oor performing鈥 employees
The Trump administration has ordered all federal departments and agencies to provide lists of every employee who has received less than a 鈥渇ully successful鈥 performance rating in the past three years.
The memo sent Thursday from the Office of Personnel Management comes as the Trump administration awaits a court ruling on its deferred resignation offers.
The memo, seen by The Associated Press, gives agencies a March 7 deadline. It also directs agencies to note whether any worker has been on a performance plan, and requires agencies to report any obstacles to their 鈥渁bility to swiftly terminate poor performing employees who cannot or will not improve.鈥
Trump floats meetings with Zelenskyy and Putin
President Trump said Friday he will 鈥減robably鈥 meet with next week and may also speak with .
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked whether he鈥檇 have JD Vance meet with Zelenskyy next week while the vice president travels to France and Germany.
鈥淚 will probably be meeting with President Zelenskyy next week and I鈥檒l probably be talking with President Putin,鈥 Trump replied. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to see that war end.鈥
Asked where he鈥檇 meet with Zelenskyy, Trump said it 鈥渃ould be Washington 鈥 well I鈥檓 not going there.鈥
He didn鈥檛 offer details on plans to speak with Putin.
Hungary鈥檚 PM, praising 鈥楾rump tornado,鈥 says democracy and rights groups will be swept away
announced legal action Friday to eliminate non-governmental organizations and media outlets that received U.S. funds. Any recipients of should be identified and sanctioned, he said.
The Trump ally praised the agency鈥檚 shutdown, saying 鈥渘ow is the moment when these international networks have to be taken down, they have to be swept away.鈥
翱谤产谩苍鈥檚 has and Critics say it seeks to silence any critics, much like does. Violators face prison terms of up to three years.
The European Union has to Hungary over its violations of rule-of-law and democracy standards, abuse of minorities and systemic public corruption and political patronage.
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Trump calls his Gaza proposal a 鈥榮imple real estate transaction鈥
Trump says his suggestions that Gaza鈥檚 residents could be resettled, and the area redeveloped for tourism potential, has 鈥渂een very well received鈥 around the globe.
The idea has actually been roundly criticized. But Trump insisted Friday that it was a simple 鈥渞eal estate transition,鈥 and that the U.S. is in 鈥渘o rush to do anything.鈥
The president has suggested that resettlement of Gaza鈥檚 residents could be permanent 鈥 something that even top members of his own administration have contradicted him on.
But Trump said at the White House on Friday that 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to see everybody move back and then move out in 10 years鈥 because of continued unrest.
Vance tasked for TikTok deal
Trump has tasked Vice President JD Vance with overseeing the potential sale of TikTok, according to a person familiar the decision who wasn't authorized to speak publicly.
TikTok鈥檚 China-based parent-company is seeking to find an approved buyer to avoid being banned in the U.S.
鈥 Michelle Price
Senate Budget Committee would cut billions, spend more on military and border
鈥淗elp is on the way鈥 for voters favoring border security and a stronger defense, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman.
The committee鈥檚 blueprint envisions more than $340 billion in new spending over four years to wall off the Mexican border, increase the number of Border Patrol agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, grow the U.S. Navy and build an integrated air and defense missile system.
A committee press release said cuts elsewhere in federal spending would offset the $85.5 billion annual cost.
House Republicans also are working overtime on
Lebanon鈥檚 presidency 鈥榥ot concerned鈥 after US envoy sets 鈥榬ed lines鈥 on Hezbollah
Trump鈥檚 new special envoy for Middle East peace expressed hope Friday that Lebanese authorities are committed to ensuring the Hezbollah militant group isn鈥檛 a part of the in any form.
Morgan Ortagus replaced Amos Hochstein, who helped broker the with Hezbollah.
鈥淲e have set clear red lines from the United States that (Hezbollah) won鈥檛 be able to terrorize the Lebanese people and that includes by being a part of the government,鈥 she told a news conference after meeting with .
In response, Lebanon鈥檚 presidency said on X that some of what Ortagus said 鈥渆xpresses her point of view, and the Presidency is not concerned with it.鈥
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Unions ask judge to protect Labor Department info from Musk
A federal judge will consider Friday whether to block 鈥檚 team from accessing systems at the Labor Department, which has investigated SpaceX and Tesla.
Three unions asked Judge John Bates, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush, to keep DOGE workers out of systems that also contain sensitive information about workers who've filed complaints and about 惭耻蝉办鈥檚 corporate rivals.
鈥淒OGE is violating multiple laws, from constitutional limits on executive power, to laws protecting civil servants from arbitrary threats and adverse action, to crucial protections for government data collected and stored on hundreds of millions of Americans,鈥 wrote labor union lawyers represented by the advocacy group Democracy Forward.
The Justice Department said the unions are just speculating and haven鈥檛 shown that the three DOGE employees detailed to cut the Department鈥檚 costs will have such access.
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Hegseth鈥檚 Pentagon feed cut off before troops could hear him questioned
Defense Secretary Hegseth said at the Pentagon that 鈥渄eterrence鈥 begins with the southern border. Most troops missed any questions and answers that followed.
Hegseth鈥檚 opening remarks were broadcast over the Pentagon鈥檚 television and internet channels, but it then cut off.
So the longer Q&A portion he did was only seen by those in the room, and wasn't available for the 2.1 million troops and hundreds of thousands of civilians who serve in other states and nations around the world.
惭耻蝉办鈥檚 team at the Education Department gains access to student loan database
惭耻蝉办鈥檚 has gained access to an Education Department database of personal information on millions of students and parents with federal student loans, according to two people with knowledge of the issue.
The people spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Democrats in Congress are raising concerns about DOGE鈥檚 access to student records. In a letter to the acting education secretary, a group of Democrats demanded details about DOGE鈥檚 work and vowed to fight any attempt to close the Education Department.
A federal lawsuit filed Friday seeks to block DOGE鈥檚 access, saying it violates privacy rights of federal borrowers.
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鈥 Collin Binkley and Bianca V谩zquez Toness
Trump鈥檚 most special employee will file a secret financial report
As a special government employee, Elon Musk will have to file a report on his financial assets 鈥 but it won鈥檛 be made public.
The plan was described by a White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose personnel matters.
Musk is the world鈥檚 richest person with vast business interests, including Tesla, SpaceX and X. His financial report, if completed, would likely be among the most extensive ever filed.
The White House official said Musk also received a briefing on ethics rules earlier this week. Trump, who put Musk in charge of overhauling the federal government, has said the billionaire entrepreneur would steer clear of conflicts of interest.
鈥 Chris Megerian
Defense secretary tells Pentagon workers he plans to disrupt the status quo
Pete Hegseth is telling his troops and workforce that he plans to take unconventional approaches and 鈥渂e disruptive on purpose.鈥
Speaking to a crowd of military and civilian workers in a Pentagon conference center Friday, Hegseth said he's committed to rebuilding the defense industrial base, increasing deterrence and restoring the military鈥檚 laser focus on lethality and readiness while ridding it of diversity initiatives.
鈥淧resident Trump asked me to not maintain the status quo,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to move fast. I鈥檒l think outside the box, be disruptive on purpose, to create a sense of urgency that I want to make sure exists inside this department.鈥
US importers stockpile Prosecco, fearing Trump tariffs
Wine industry data shows American importers have been stockpiling the as a hedge against possible tariffs.
U.S. imports of Italian sparkling wine 鈥 90% of that Prosecco 鈥 skyrocketed by 41% after Trump鈥檚 election, far exceeding consumer demand as importers filled the pipeline for future sales.
Union of Italian Wines trade association president Lamberto Frescobaldi says this made sense given the likelihood that consumers will cut back on luxuries if tariffs make them too pricey.
Italian wines were not hit by tariffs during the first Trump presidency, and no tariffs have been announced to date against European partners. But Italy exports nearly one-quarter of its wine, worth 1.9 billion euros ($1.97 billion), exposing the sector to potential price shocks.
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Immigrant advocacy groups want access to Gitmo
Their letter Friday demands 鈥渋mmediate access鈥 to the people being held there, saying the U.S. naval station in Cuba should not be used as a 鈥渓egal black hole.鈥
Two military flights have carried people who were in the U.S. illegally to the base so far.
The Trump administration has broadly described them as criminals and gang members but has not given specific information such as their names, whether they鈥檝e been convicted or when they entered the country.
Inflation is looking like a problem for Trump
Americans are thinking inflation is going to get much worse now. It鈥檚 a problem for a Republican who won election on the specific promise of lowering prices.
The University of Michigan鈥檚 survey of consumers showed Friday that people expect inflation to be 4.3% for the year ahead, up a full percentage point from the prior month. The preliminary finding for February is the highest reading since November 2023, when public exhaustion with inflation was crushing President Joe Biden鈥檚 approval ratings.
Another possible warning sign for Trump: Broader consumer sentiment among Republicans slipped to 83.2 from 86 in January.
Trump has almost sparked a broad trade war with Canada and Mexico, threatened tariffs that economists say would increase inflation and placed a 10% tariff on imports from China.
White House press secretary blames unsettled economy on Biden
Karoline Leavitt said the jobs report shows 鈥渢he necessity of President Trump鈥檚 pro-growth policies.鈥
Her statement Friday cited Trump鈥檚 declaration of an energy emergency, his pledges to cut regulations and his plan to 鈥渄eliver the largest tax cut in history for hardworking Americans.鈥
鈥淧resident Trump is delivering on his promise to restore our broken economy, revive small business optimism, create jobs, and ignite a new Golden Age for America,鈥 she said.
Trump sues Chicago over 鈥榮anctuary鈥 policies
Trump鈥檚 opponents aren鈥檛 the only ones seeking help from the courts.
An administration lawsuit accuses the nation鈥檚 third-largest city of using to 鈥渢hwart鈥 federal enforcement of immigration laws. It also names the state of Illinois. It鈥檚 the to crack down on places that limit cooperation between federal immigration agents and local police and follows threats of and cuts to federal funding.
The lawsuit filed Thursday says Chicago and Illinois have allowed 鈥渃ountless criminals鈥 to be released when they should have been held for immigration removal.
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FBI director nominee鈥檚 potential conflicts of interest draw scrutiny
Kash Patel entered Trump鈥檚 orbit as a congressional staffer of modest means, then got rich consulting for foreign clients whose interests may clash with the law enforcement agency he hopes to lead.
An Associated Press review of his financial disclosures shows Patel is now worth as much as $15 million. He hasn鈥檛 responded to requests for comment as he awaits Senate confirmation. But ethics experts, Democrats and even a future vice president questioned his private-sector work.
Patel鈥檚 consulting for The Czechoslovak Group came as the foreign arms conglomerate pushed to buy Vista Outdoor, which makes the famous American ammo brands Federal and Remington. Senate Republicans blasted the purchase last year as a threat to national security. Then-Sen. JD Vance wrote the Treasury Department accusing CSG of having 鈥渢ies to the inner circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin.鈥
The company denied Vance鈥檚 claims and the sale went through in November.
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Trump, by executive order, wants plastic straws
He announced on his Truth social media network Friday that he plans to sign an executive order next week unwinding his predecessor鈥檚 push to move away from plastic straws, declaring that paper straws 鈥渄on鈥檛 work.鈥
The president has railed against paper straws in the past and in 2019 his reelection campaign sought to use the issue to galvanize supporters, mocking efforts to use paper straws and selling Trump-branded plastic straws for $15.
The Biden administration in 2024 gave the federal government another quarter-century to phase out single-use plastics, including straws, that are polluting the environment and the oceans.
Another deportation flight to Gitmo
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says another planeload of people in the U.S. illegally has gone to .
Noem said Friday on X that the flight took off Thursday, and that they were all 鈥渒nown gang members from Venezuela.鈥
President Trump says he鈥檚 using the U.S. military鈥檚 detention center in Cuba to house
Migrant rights groups say Gitmo is not equipped to handle such an influx and there鈥檚 no oversight for people held there.
Iran鈥檚 supreme leader criticizes US nuke talks proposal
Iran鈥檚 supreme leader said Friday that negotiations with America 鈥渁re not intelligent, wise or honorable鈥 after Trump floated nuclear talks with Tehran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also said 鈥渢here should be no negotiations with such a government.鈥
Khamenei stopped short of issuing a direct order not to engage with Washington, but his remarks upended months of signals from Tehran to the United States that it wanted to negotiate over in exchange for the lifting of crushing economic sanctions worth billions of dollars.
The Iranian rial then sunk to a record low of 872,000 rials to $1 in aftermarket trading.
What happens next remains unclear. Reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian had promised Thursday to begin a dialogue with the West.
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It鈥檚 the first full day on the job for bureaucracy-busting Russ Vought
Writing in the Heritage Foundation鈥檚 Project 2025, Vought described the White House budget director鈥檚 job 鈥渁s the best, most comprehensive approximation of the President鈥檚 mind.鈥
The Office of Management and Budget, he declared, 鈥渋s a President鈥檚 air-traffic control system鈥 and should be 鈥渋nvolved in all aspects of the White House policy process,鈥 becoming 鈥減owerful enough to override implementing agencies鈥 bureaucracies.鈥
Vought has pushed to enable mass dismissals by . He supports the president using 鈥渋mpoundment鈥 to override the legislative branch on spending. And he鈥檚 unabashedly advanced 鈥 鈥
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Forced leaves start for thousands as Trump guts USAID
They began in Washington and worldwide Friday for most employees of the , even as workers went to courts to try to block Trump from dismantling the agency and U.S.- funded aid programs around the world.
The administration plans to leave USAID with fewer than 300 workers, out of more than 8,000 direct hires and contractors, and thousands more locally hired employees abroad. That鈥檚 according to two current USAID employees and one former senior USAID official, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
They said the numbers were presented to the agency鈥檚 remaining senior officials on Thursday. A Trump administration order forbids USAID staffers from talking to anyone outside their agency.
鈥 Paul Wiseman
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Trump impact: Not a great time to be job-hunting
The first job report of Trump鈥檚 second presidency 鈥 just 143,000 jobs added last month 鈥 suggests he inherited a solid but unspectacular labor market.
Although Trump鈥檚 plan to push out federal workers is a federal hiring freeze is a 鈥渘egative for employment growth,鈥欌 according to economist Bradley Saunders. Economists also worry about Trump鈥檚 against other countries and the on Chinese imports.
The tariffs are paid by U.S. importers, generally increasing costs for U.S. consumers, which could rekindle inflation. That could lead the Fed to cancel or postpone the it had forecast, which would be bad for economic growth and job creation.
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More federal workers agree to resign, White House says
The number of federal workers agreeing to resign has spiked to 65,000, according to a White House official.
The official requested anonymity because they weren鈥檛 authorized to disclose the latest figures.
The workers have opted into the deferred resignation program, which is being challenged in court. A federal judge scheduled a hearing for Monday afternoon to consider arguments over whether the plan can proceed.
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鈥 Chris Megerian
Japan鈥檚 PM aims for personal bond with Trump in whirlwind Washington trip
Japanese Prime Minister didn鈥檛 skimp on legwork as he prepared for his first Trump meeting.
He huddled with SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman after Trump and sought advice from his predecessor, .
鈥淚t will be our first face-to-face talks, so I would like to focus on building a personal relationship of trust between the two of us,鈥 Ishiba told reporters his White House visit Friday.
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Judge in Boston hears from 18 states asking to block birthright citizenship ban
A federal judge in Boston on Friday will consider a request from 18 state attorneys general to block Trump鈥檚 executive order ending for the children of parents who are in the U.S. illegally.
A federal judge in Seattle Thursday, saying Trump is trying to change the Constitution with . A Maryland judge also issued a .
The Trump administration says such children are not 鈥渟ubject to the jurisdiction鈥 of the United States and therefore not entitled to citizenship.
The state attorneys general and the cities of San Francisco and Washington want Judge Leo Sorokin to issue a preliminary injunction. They call it a 鈥渇lagrantly unlawful attempt to strip hundreds of thousands of American-born children of their citizenship.鈥
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House GOP rushing to produce Trump鈥檚 big budget bill cutting programs and taxes
House Republicans are working overtime after a lengthy White House meeting to meet President demand for a that includes some $3 trillion in tax breaks, massive program cuts and a possible extension of the to allow more borrowing and prevent a federal default.
Speaker had GOP lawmakers working into the night ahead of a self-imposed Friday deadline to produce the package. Trump popped in and out of their nearly five-hour Cabinet room meeting Thursday with a simple message: Get it done.
On their list: making permanent, cutting spending on federal programs and ensuring Trump has enough money to launch his and finish building the U.S-Mexico border wall.
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US allies in Europe join ICC against Trump鈥檚 sanctions over Israel
The International Criminal Court on Friday called on its member states to stand up against sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump, saying that the move was an attempt to 鈥渉arm its independent and impartial judicial work.鈥
And the embattled court got plenty of support from traditional U.S. allies in Europe who stood up against the Trump measure. Trump鈥檚 executive order on Thursday imposing sanctions on the court because of its investigations of Israel.
Neither nation recognizes the court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes over his military response in Gaza following the Hamas attack against Israel in October 2023.
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House speaker and Israeli leader to meet
Friday's encounter is a make-up date because House Speaker Mike Johnson missed a scheduled meeting with Netanyahu at the Capitol.
That鈥檚 because the speaker and other congressional Republicans were at the White House Thursday in a meeting with Trump and other officials that stretched well into the late afternoon.
Trump popped in and out of the nearly five-hour meeting as the Republicans, who have struggled to agree on their agenda, hammered out differences in the Cabinet Room. They ended up staying so long they were served turkey-bacon sandwiches for lunch.
