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 12, 2025, 12:14 PM EST

Trump talked to Putin, calls for immediate negotiations to end Russia-Ukraine war

In a lengthy post, President Donald Trump said he talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that they agreed for their teams to "start negotiations immediately" to end the Russia-Ukraine War. Trump said his first step will be to call Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which he says he is doing now.

"We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now." he wrote in the post.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington.
Aaron Schwartz/Pool//EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The president also thanked Putin for the release of Marc Fogel.

-- ABC News' Mary Bruce

Feb 12, 2025, 11:53 AM EST

Senate confirms Gabbard as director of national intelligence

The Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence by a vote of 52-48 on Wednesday.

Former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was the only Republican to break ranks and vote against Gabbard's nomination. All other Republicans voted for Gabbard and all Democrats voted against her.

Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Prior to the vote, Majority Leader John Thune laid into Democrats for their unified efforts to block and oppose both her and Robert F. Kennedy Jr's nominations, arguing that their lack of willingness to support Trump's picks demonstrates how "out of step" with America the party has become.

Gabbard cleared a key Senate test vote Monday night and was expected to be confirmed.

– ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Feb 12, 2025, 10:41 AM EST

Trump admin 'accelerating' foreign aid cuts in wake of litigation, groups claim

A group of non-profits suing the Trump administration over its 90-day foreign aid freeze are accusing government officials of "accelerating their terminations of contracts and suspensions of grants of USAID and State Department partners," according to court documents filed early Wednesday.

The aid groups, who filed their suit Tuesday morning, said many of them "received new purported termination notices, including yesterday and this morning" and suggested that government officials "may be doing so specifically in response to this lawsuit."

PHOTO: US President Trump meets with Elon Musk in Oval Office, Washington, USA - 11 Feb 2025
President Donald J. Trump gives remarks to the media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Feb. 11 2025.
Aaron Schwartz/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The groups asked a federal judge to either issue a temporary restraining order to prevent further terminations or schedule an emergency hearing on Wednesday to discuss the matter.

-- ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman

Feb 12, 2025, 10:37 AM EST

Federal court will not block Trump from cutting off funding for FEMA migrant housing program

A federal judge in Rhode Island said in an order Wednesday morning that he will not block the Trump administration from cutting off funding to a FEMA program that pays for states to house migrants once they are released from federal custody.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell technically denied the Trump administration’s request for permission to cut off the funding, instead opting to clarify that his earlier order does not prohibit the government from limiting funding “on the basis of the applicable authorizing statutes, regulations, and terms.”

The ruling effectively gives the Trump administration a green light to cut off the funding based on their concern that money was “going to entities engaged in or facilitating illegal activities.”

-- ABC News' Peter Charalambous

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