White House says some employees were fired by mistake

After taking the recent buyout offer, some employees were fired, a source said.

Last Updated: February 16, 2025, 11:07 PM EST

President Donald Trump's administration, including Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, is continuing its sweeping effort to cut much of the federal government -- but it's being met with legal challenges.

Trump is also making his second administration's first forays on the diplomatic front with calls to Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy on ending the 3-year-old war that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.

And a day after Hamas released more hostages taken when it attacked Israel in October 2023, Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the militant organization needs to be "eliminated."

Feb 10, 2025, 2:07 PM EST

Judge says White House violated temporary restraining order on funding freeze

A federal judge in Rhode Island granted a "motion for enforcement" of a temporary restraining order he signed last month that blocked the Trump administration's spending freeze.

"The States have presented evidence in this motion that the Defendants in some cases have continued to improperly freeze federal funds and refused to resume disbursement of appropriated federal funds," Judge John McConnell Jr. wrote on Monday.

"These pauses in funding violate the plain text of the TRO," he added.

President Donald Trump speaks to the press after signing a proclamation renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America aboard Air Force One, as it flies over the Gulf enroute to New Orleans, Feb. 9, 2025.
Ben Curtis/AP

In the filing, McConnell said the administration "must immediately end any federal funding pause" until he decides whether to issue a preliminary injunction.

"The Defendants now plea that they are just trying to root out fraud," McConnell added. "But the freezes in effect now were a result of the broad categorical order, not a specific finding of possible fraud. The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country."

-ABC News' Laura Romero

Feb 10, 2025, 1:59 PM EST

House Democrats create task force to respond to Trump's government overhaul

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries established a group called "Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group" to respond to Trump's overhaul of the federal government. Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse will lead the group.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries holds a press conference at the U.S. Capitol, Feb. 7, 2025 in Washington.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

"We are engaged in a multifaceted struggle to protect and defend everyday Americans from the harm being inflicted by this administration. As outlined last week, it's an all hands on deck effort simultaneously underway in Congress, the Courts and the Community," Jeffries wrote to his colleagues.

This is yet another effort by House Democrats, who are in the minority in the House and have little power, to push back against the administration. Their work could lead to future litigation.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

Feb 10, 2025, 12:34 PM EST

White House says ‘weaponization’ of CFPB ‘ends right now’

In a new press release, the White House said that the "weaponization" of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) "ends right now."

They allege the agency has "long functioned as another woke, weaponized arm of the bureaucracy that leverages its power against certain industries and individuals disfavored by so-called 'elites.'"

Russell Vought testifies before the Senate Budget Committee on his nomination to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 22, 2025.
Allison Dinner/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The White House pointed to reports that the agency supported "radical advocacy groups" and also referenced reports about the agency's data collection among other actions. It claims the agency "granted itself broad new powers" under the Biden administration, arguing it was "government overreach" in regards to the agency's action on removing medical debt from credit reports.

– ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

Feb 10, 2025, 11:19 AM EST

EU vows to react to Trump’s ‘unlawful’ tariffs

In a statement, the European Union Commission called President Donald Trump's potential tariffs "unlawful and economically counterproductive," adding that it sees "no justification" for them.

It also said it will "react to protect the interests of European businesses, workers and consumers from unjustified measures."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated such remarks, saying that "anyone who imposes tariffs must expect counter-tariffs."

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