The Latest: Federal judge allows Trump’s mass firings of federal workers to continue
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper decided he could not grant a motion from unions representing the workers to temporarily block President Donald Trump’s mass firings of federal workers. He did, however, acknowledge the chaos caused by Trump’s blitz of second-term executive actions.
Here’s the latest:
US envoy praises Zelenskyy after Trump’s censure of the Ukrainian leader
President Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine and Russia said on Friday that he held “extensive and positive discussions” with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the three-year war with Russia and praised the Ukrainian leader as an “embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war.”
Retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg — who traveled to Kyiv on Wednesday and whose planned news conference with Zelenskyy on Thursday was changed at the last minute to a simple photo opportunity — struck a positive tone after what he said on the social platform X was “a long and intense day” of talks with Ukraine’s senior leadership.
His comments marked a departure from recent rebukes of Zelenskyy by Trump and other senior U.S. officials that appeared to indicate an abrupt deterioration of relations.
Economic vibes not looking so great for Trump
Consumer confidence fell nearly 10% on a monthly basis in February, a sharp plunge that suggests President Donald Trump’s tariff plans have given his administration a potentially short honeymoon with voters.
The University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment came in Friday at a reading of 64.7, down 9.8% on a monthly basis and 15.9% on a yearly basis. The Trump administration has touted other measures of confidence such as the National Federation of Independent Business’ index to suggest there is newfound optimism because of Trump’s return to the White House.
But during President Joe Biden’s tenure, the Michigan numbers often tracked with his loss of public approval. The latest Michigan figures have people expecting on average that inflation will increase 4.3% over the next year, a sharp increase from the January reading. Tariffs are taxes on imports that can raise prices for consumers.
Confidence among Republicans has held steady in the index, but it has fallen sharply among Democrats and political independents.
White House defends DOGE cuts amid complaints about ‘chainsaw’ approach
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Trump administration’s sweeping measures when asked about complaints Friday that DOGE is using a “chainsaw” approach to cutting the government’s size and spending, Leavitt told reporters at the White House that there is public support for the administration, and it is “committed to cutting waste, fraud and abuse.”
“The president campaigned on that promise. Americans elected him on that promise, and he’s actually delivering on it. And this is something that Democrats promised they would do for decades. President Trump is just the first president to get it done,” she said.
Treasury raises concerns with China’s Vice Premier over fentanyl
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressed concerns about China’s counternarcotics efforts, according to a Treasury readout of his first call Friday with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
President Donald Trump, who signed an order imposing 10% tariffs against China earlier this month, is aiming at combating the illicit flow of fentanyl into the U.S., where the opioid is blamed for some 70,000 overdose deaths annually.
China is a major supplier of precursor chemicals used for the manufacturing of fentanyl.
The Treasury said the finance ministers also spoke about “economic imbalances, and unfair policies, and stressed the Administration’s commitment to pursue trade and economic policies that protect the American economy, the American worker, and our national security.”
The pair agreed to remain in communication.
▶Read more about the tariffs
Sinn Féin leaders won’t attend St. Patrick’s event at White House to protest US stance on Gaza
Sinn Féin’s President Mary Lou McDonald addresses the media in Dublin, as Sinn Féin’s David Cullinane looks on, in Dublin, Ireland, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. Ireland braced for weeks of political uncertainty Monday after an earth-shaking election that saw the Irish Republican Army-linked party Sinn Fein — long shunned by its bigger rivals — take the largest share of votes. (Niall Carson/PA via AP)
The Irish party’s leader Mary Lou McDonald said the Trump’s administration’s position was “catastrophically” wrong and she was taking “a principled stance against the threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza.”
Trump has proposed removing about 2 million Palestinians from Gaza so the U.S. can own and rebuild what he called the “Riviera of the Middle East.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has welcomed the idea, but it’s been universally rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries, caused concern from other world leaders and thrown a ceasefire into doubt.
She was joined in the boycott by Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill, the party’s vice president, who said she was standing “on the side of humanity.”
▶ Read more about the Irish party’s boycott
Chinese Vice Premier expresses ‘solemn concern’ over tariffs in video call with US Treasury Secretary
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng has expressed “solemn concerns” to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the Trump administration’s imposition of an additional 10% tariff on imports from China.
The comments came in a video call that was Bessent’s first contact with a senior Chinese official since assuming his post. Trump said he imposed the tariff because China needs to do more to control the fentanyl trade. China responded with tariffs on select American products and other targeted measures.
Ahead of the call, Bessent told Bloomberg that the first thing he wanted to talk about was curbing fentanyl precursor chemicals coming from China
Federal judge will consider further blocking Trump administration from freezing funds
The judge will consider a request to further block the Trump administration from freezing trillions of dollars of grants and loans that fund everything from clean energy programs to bridge repairs to emergency shelters.
U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island, who already approved a temporary restraining order on the funding freeze, is hearing a request for a permanent injunction from nearly two dozen Democrat states. If approved, it would be the first order since the Trump administration announced a sweeping pause on federal aid, stirring up a wave of confusion and anxiety across the United States.
A second lawsuit over the funding freeze by groups representing thousands of nonprofits and small businesses is being heard by U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan in Washington, D.C. AliKhan is also considering a request to issue a preliminary injunction.
▶ Read more about the lawsuits over funding freezes
Macron says he plans to tell Trump not to “be weak” in the face of Putin amid negotiation talks
Macron is to travel to Washington to meet with Trump on Monday, the White House said.
In a one-hour question and answer session on his social media Thursday, Macron said he’ll tell Trump: “You can’t be weak in the face of President Putin. It’s not you, it’s not your trademark, it’s not in your interest. How can you then be credible in the face of China if you’re weak in the face of Putin?”
Trump’s recent statements that echo Putin’s narrative and plans to have direct negotiations with Moscow have left European allies and Ukrainian officials worried. But Macron suggested Trump’s strategy to create “uncertainty” in talks with Russia could actually make Western allies stronger in these talks.
Macron added he would seek to persuade Trump that U.S. interests and Europeans’ interests are the same, telling him: “If you let Russia take over Ukraine, it would be unstoppable.”
That means any peace deal must be negotiated with Ukrainians and Europeans around the table, Macron reaffirmed.
▶ Read more about Macron’s comments
Trump holds Black History Month event as some agencies skip recognition after anti-DEI order
President Donald Trump speaks as golfer Tiger Woods listens during a reception for Black History Month in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Washington. (Pool via AP)
Trump marked Black History Month at the White House on Thursday by making an appearance at a celebratory reception with a surprise guest, golf legend Tiger Woods, while calling out other athletes in attendance and marveling at the size of the crowd.
Trump also announced he planned to bring Alice Johnson, a prison reform advocate whom he pardoned in 2020, into his administration to work on clemency issues.
The White House’s Black History Month reception preserved a tradition, but it comes in the wake of Trump issuing a wide-ranging executive order ending the federal government’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs has disrupted its observance elsewhere.
Trump didn’t mention his anti-DEI crusade as he addressed hundreds of guests in a reception in the East Room, though he did make a brief reference to the The New York Times’ “1619 Project,” which highlights the lasting consequences of slavery in America.
▶ Read more about the Black History Month reception at the White House
How Trump’s mass layoffs raise the risk of wildfires in the US West, according to fired workers
The Forest Service firings — on the heels of deadly blazes that ripped through Los Angeles last month — are part of a wave of federal worker layoffs, as Trump’s cost-cutting measures reverberate nationwide.
Workers who maintained trails, removed combustible debris from forests, supported firefighters and secured funds for wildfire mitigation say staffing cuts threaten public safety, especially in the West, where drier and hotter conditions linked to climate change have increased the intensity of wildfires.
“This is 100% a safety thing,” said Tanya Torst, who was fired from her position as a U.S. Forest Service partnership coordinator in Chico, California. She recalled the deadly Paradise blaze that killed 85 people east of Chico in 2018. “That’s why I’m speaking out.”
