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Trump 2nd term live updates: Former FBI director responds to turmoil at DOJ, FBI

The DOJ asked for information about agents involved in work related to Jan. 6.

President Donald Trump's rapid reshaping of the federal government continues with executive orders and action from his acting agency heads.

Trump Cabinet nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel, were questioned by senators during confirmation hearings on Thursday while another, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, was confirmed by the Senate.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the plane crash that killed 67 people near Washington's Reagan National Airport, the president raised the question of whether the previous administration's DEI policies had something to do with it.

Jan 28, 2025, 3:29 PM EST

Trump invites Israel's Netanyahu to White House

President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 4, according to the prime minister's office.

Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to be invited to the White House in Trump's second term.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands with President Donald Trump after signing the Abraham Accords on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sept. 15, 2020.
Tom Brenner/Reuters,FILES

Jan 28, 2025, 3:19 PM EST

White House confirms outage of Medicaid portal

The White House is now confirming the Medicaid portal is experiencing outages, as states reported issues accessing the site in the wake of the federal government's abrupt freeze

"The White House is aware of the Medicaid website portal outage," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an X post.

"We have confirmed no payments have been affected -- they are still being processed and sent. We expect the portal will be back online shortly," she added.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivers remarks during her first daily briefing at the White House, in Washington, Jan. 28, 2025.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Leavitt defended the freeze during her first press briefing earlier Tuesday. Leavitt said it was a temporary pause and would not impact direct individual assistance Americans rely on.

But questions remain on its impact, as the government funds thousands of loan and grant programs on everything from water and air quality to housing subsidies.

Jan 28, 2025, 1:02 PM EST

Nonprofits, health groups and more sue to block memo freezing financial aid

A group of nonprofit groups, public health organizations, small businesses and LGBTQ advocates have asked the federal district court in Washington for an emergency injunction and temporary restraining order to block implementation of the White House Office of Management and Budget memo freezing all federal grant and loan distributions.

The lawsuit invokes the Administrative Procedures Act, which says that federal agencies must undertake changes in policy by providing justification for the action, adequately consider the real-world impacts, and accept public input.

The groups allege the Office of Management and Budget has done none of these things and has exceeded its authority.

-ABC News' Devin Dwyer and MaryAlice Parks

Jan 28, 2025, 12:37 PM EST

State officials report trouble accessing health, emergency funds

The White House memo on ceasing spending for federal financial aid programs is sparking alarm for some across the country.

Multiple state agencies are reporting they are encountering error messages as they try to access online portals that they typically use to draw down funds for emergency aid, community health centers, Head Start and even Medicaid -- despite the memo’s explicit carve out for Medicare and Social Security.

“This is sowing chaos and confusion everywhere,” one state official told ABC News.

-ABC News' Steven Portnoy