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Trump 2nd term live updates: Dan Bongino named as deputy FBI director

He hosts the popular right-wing and pro-Trump podcast "The Dan Bongino Show."

Last Updated: February 23, 2025, 5:03 PM EST

President Donald Trump's administration is continuing its radical effort to cut much of the federal government and crackdown on immigration -- and is being met with dozens of legal challenges.

On the foreign policy front, Trump's press secretary said the White House believes it can reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine this week even as Trump attacks Ukraine's president and blames it for starting the war, which even some in his own party are calling him out over.

Meanwhile, heads of federal government agencies were telling employees not to reply to an email from Elon Musk, Trump's ally who he picked to cut government waste, which asked for them to list their accomplishments for the week or face termination.

Feb 22, 2025, 6:52 PM EST

Federal workers union blasts Musk over accomplishments email

Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, criticized Musk and Trump after federal workers received an email that demanded they detail what they "accomplished" -- or be terminated.

Kelley said he would challenge "any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country."

"It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life," he said in a statement.

A White House official, however, told ABC News it's up to each federal employee's manager to determine if their answers to the email are satisfactory.

If an employee misses the deadline of Monday night, it's also up to the discretion of the manager, the official claimed.

If an employee's manager determines the federal worker is not meeting the criteria, he or she can go through the agency process to report the employee and possibly get them fired, the official claimed.

-ABC News' Selina Wang

Feb 22, 2025, 5:48 PM EST

Trump met with embattled Argentinian president at CPAC

Trump met with Argentinian President Javier Milei on the sidelines of CPAC, according to a post on X by the White House.

The meeting was not announced on the president's official schedule. Trump was also scheduled to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Milei is facing calls for his impeachment after promoting a cryptocurrency on X. The cryptocurrency's value rose after the post and quickly dropped after he removed the post.

Feb 22, 2025, 5:34 PM EST

White House says Trump believes he can get Ukraine-Russia deal this week

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated during a gaggle with reporters Trump's comments that the administration believes Russia wants to make a deal to end the war with Ukraine.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters outside the White House, Feb. 21, 2025, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Asked for details of when Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump could meet, Leavitt said she had nothing to read out but did say that Trump is confident he can get a deal done to end the war between Russia and Ukraine this week.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

Feb 22, 2025, 5:33 PM EST

Federal employees asked to provide 5 accomplishments or risk termination

Federal employees began receiving an email on Saturday from the Office of Personnel Management with the subject line "What did you do last week" that demanded they detail what they "accomplished" last week, according to multiple sources and an email reviewed by ABC News.

The email, sent from the same OPM HR email address that initially emailed employees the "Fork in the Road" resignation offer, instructs employees to list "5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and CC your manager."

It specifies that no classified information should be included.

"As part of the Trump Administration's commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce, OPM is asking employees to provide a brief summary of what they did last week by the end of Monday, CC'ing their manager," a spokesperson from the Office of Personnel Management said Saturday. "Agencies will determine any next steps."

Elon Musk talks talks with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt as President Donald Trump speaks at the Future Investment Initiative Institute summit in Miami Beach, Fla., Feb. 19, 2025.
Roberto Schmidt/Pool via AP

The emails were sent just after Musk posted a vague threat on X claiming that all federal employees would receive an email "requesting to understand what they got done last week."

"Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation," he wrote, without providing further details.

It is not clear if Musk, who has faced several lawsuits for his actions, has the authority to terminate the employees in this manner.

-ABC News' Will Steakin and Selina Wang

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