The Dictatorship
Elon Musk says President Donald Trump has ‘agreed’ USAID should be shut down
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Agency for International Development is on the cusp of being shuttered, according the Trump administration’s billionaire adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk — who has been wrestling for control of the agency in recent days.
Early Monday, Musk held a live session on X Spaces, previously known as Twitter Spaces, and said that he spoke in detail about USAID with the president. “He agreed we should shut it down,” Musk said.
“It became apparent that its not an apple with a worm it in,” Musk said. “What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.” “We’re shutting it down.”
His comments come after the administration placed two top security chiefs at USAID on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Musk’s government-inspection teams, a current and a former U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Members of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiencyknown as DOGE, eventually did gain access Saturday to the aid agency’s classified information, which includes intelligence reports, the former official said.
Musk’s DOGE crew lacked high enough security clearance to access that information, so the two USAID security officials — John Voorhees and deputy Brian McGill — believed themselves legally obligated to deny access.
The current and former U.S. officials had knowledge of the incident and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information.
Musk on Sunday responded to an X post about the news by saying, “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.” He followed with additional posts on X about the aid agency.
Kate Miller, who serves on an advisory board for DOGE, said in a separate post that no classified material was accessed “without proper security clearances.”
It comes a day after DOGE carried out a similar operation at the Treasury Departmentgaining access to sensitive information including the Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems. The Washington Post reported that a senior Treasury official had resigned over Musk’s team accessing sensitive information.
Musk formed DOGE in cooperation with the Trump administration with the stated goal of finding ways to fire federal workerscut programs and slash federal regulations.
USAID, whose website vanished Saturday without explanation, has been one of the federal agencies most targeted by the Trump administration in an escalating crackdown on the federal government and many of its programs.
“It’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics. And we’re getting them out,” Trump said to reporters about USAID on Sunday night.
The Trump administration and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have imposed an unprecedented freeze on foreign assistance that has shut down much of USAID’s humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide — compelling thousands of layoffs by aid organizations — and ordered furloughs and leaves that have gutted the agency’s leadership and staff in Washington.
The U.S. is by far the world’s largest donor of humanitarian aid, with USAID administering billions of dollars in humanitarian, development and security assistance in more than 100 countries.
Peter Marocco, a returning political appointee from Trump’s first term, was a leader in enforcing the shutdown. USAID staffers say they believe that agency outsiders with visitors badges asking questions of employees inside the Washington headquarters are members of Musk’s DOGE team.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a post on Sunday that Trump was allowing Musk to access people’s personal information and shut down government funding.
“We must do everything in our power to push back and protect people from harm,” the Massachusetts senator said, without giving details.
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Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in New York, Matthew Lee in Panama City and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.
___ This story has been updated to correct the surname name of one of the USAID security officials. He is John Voorhees, not John Vorhees.
The FBI has fired at least 10 agents and support staff over allegations that they obtained phone records connected to FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles as part of the investigation into Donald Trump’s mishandling of classified documentsfour people briefed on the matter told MS NOW.
An FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the terminations.
In a statement widely circulating online, Patel called it “outrageous and deeply alarming that the previous FBI leadership secretly subpoenaed my own phone records — along with those of now White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles — using flimsy pretexts and burying the entire process in prohibited case files designed to evade all oversight.”
The FBI did not make public any evidence to buttress the claim, though toll records — which list the phone numbers called and the times and durations of those calls, but not their content — are routinely and legally obtained in a criminal investigation.
As part of the Trump classified documents probe, the Justice Department and FBI investigated Patel’s public claim that Trump, while president, had declassified large numbers of records en masse, and that therefore no laws had been broken when the documents were transferred to Mar-a-Lago.
Patel ultimately testified before a grand jury under a grant of immunity, and investigators concluded the records had not been declassified, court documents show.
The FBI also looked into an allegation that Trump had shown a highly classified document to Wiles while traveling with her on a private plane after he left the White House in 2021, according to multiple former officials and public records.
The firings were the latest in an ongoing purge by Patel of FBI employees who participated in investigations of Trump or otherwise have displeased the White House. They came as Patel is under fire for his use of the FBI jetincluding a trip to Milan last week where he watched the U.S. men’s hockey team win the gold medal at the Winter Olympics and was filmed drinking a beer during celebrations in the locker room afterward.
The FBI Agents Association condemned the firings Wednesday evening.
“The FBIAA condemns today’s unlawful termination of FBI Special Agents, which — like other firings by Director Patel — violates the due process rights of those who risk their lives to protect our country,” the FBI Agents Association said in a statement. “These actions weaken the Bureau by stripping away critical expertise and destabilizing the workforce, undermining trust in leadership and jeopardizing the Bureau’s ability to meet its recruitment goals — ultimately putting the nation at greater risk.”
Ken Dilanian is the justice and intelligence correspondent for MS NOW.
Carol Leonnig is a senior investigative reporter with MS NOW.
When Donald Trump came before lawmakers Tuesday night during the first State of the Union to ever occur during a partial government shutdown, the president used the occasion to issue Democrats a schoolyard dare.
“If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support,” Trump said. “The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”
When few Democrats stood, Trump made it clear he’s digging in for a fight over immigration.
“You should be ashamed of yourself for not standing up,” Trump told Democrats, who made a point most of the night not to engage with the president’s speech.
That exchange encapsulated the state of negotiations on reining in Immigration and Customs Enforcement and funding the Department of Homeland Security, Democrats said — a negotiation in which there’s been very little actual negotiating.
DHS has been shut down since Feb. 14, and it’s been more than a week since there were tangible developments in talks.
At no point in Trump’s speech Tuesday night did he mention the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota, Renee Good and Alex Prettinor did he mention Democratic proposals to require federal agents to wear body cameras, to receive judicial warrants to enter people’s homes, and to stop wearing masks — among other things. Instead, Trump shifted to a Republican proposal to require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
“What I took away from his comments was a total misunderstanding and resistance to any reform of an agency that’s lawless and totally out of control,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told MS NOW on Wednesday. “He has no concept of how brutal and violent DHS is in violating constitutional rights.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said Trump wanted to shift focus away from the public outcry over ICE’s actions.
“Donald Trump didn’t want to talk about what happened with ICE in Minneapolis,” Van Hollen told reporters Wednesday.
Since last Monday, when Democrats sent a DHS funding counteroffer to the White House, there haven’t been many real developments. The White House quickly rejected the Democratic proposal, and never sent back a counteroffer.
“We sent them a proposal a week ago Monday. We still haven’t heard back,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “Crickets.”
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, told reporters that the ball is in the GOP’s court. And when asked if the White House was negotiating in good faith, she didn’t have a very encouraging answer.
“Not yet,” she said.
“We have sent them what our priorities are,” Murray said Wednesday. “They responded with a very weak response. We sent back the other response and have heard nothing.”
But congressional Republicans say, despite the lack of progress, they’re negotiating in good faith. They expect Democrats to warm up to their positions as the effects of the shutdown intensify. And Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Wednesday there are still “overtures and outreach being done by the White House.”
The question is, Thune suggested, how motivated are Democrats to compromise.
“These agencies that are not currently being funded, and these people who are not going to start not getting paid — in a couple of weeks, it’s going to become very real for them,” he said.
DHS employees are set to receive paychecks Thursday for half of their pay. Their first fully missed paycheck is scheduled for March 12. The White House is able to pay some employees during the shutdown, especially those with border security responsibilities, thanks to billions of dollars provided in last year’s tax-and-spending bill, which isn’t affected by the funding lapse.
Republicans have made offers for changes at ICE, but not the measures Democrats have asked for.
The gap between what Democrats want and what Republicans are willing to agree to is clearly wide. And the bad blood over negotiations is only getting worse over a Democratic refusal to agree to a continuing resolution to keep the agency running a bit longer.
“We’ve offered more training, body cams, those kinds of things,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told reporters Wednesday. “Or a CR, if the Dems want to keep negotiating. At what point does them turning that down just say they want to not pay [Transportation Security Administration] and the others?”
Those offers from Republicans, however, have not addressed the specific demands from Democrats. Schumer told reporters on Tuesday that Republicans “have not budged on the key issues, like masks, like warrants, like oversight from state authorities.”
The lack of movement has left rank-and-file lawmakers confused.
“It’s been very quiet, so unusually quiet,” Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., told reporters Wednesday. “Last I knew that offers that went back and forth were dead on arrival in each other’s hands. So it didn’t sound very good.”
Republicans suspect Democrats will keep playing hardball, knowing it benefits them to fight Trump as the 2026 midterm elections draw near, Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., told MS NOW.
“I don’t think this has a thing in the world to do with DHS,” Justice said Wednesday. “I don’t think it’s anything to do with Homeland. I think this is all one thing, a midterm play, 100%. And the Democrats, really and truly, are really good at playing that hand, and the Republicans are probably not so good at playing that hand.”
So far, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is the lone Democrat to agree with that analysis.
He told MS NOW he agrees with his party’s push for policy changes to rein in ICE, but that he doesn’t think the shutdown will yield results.
“Yeah, you can want reforms, but if you want those changes, then do something that could produce those things,” Fetterman said. “Shutting down the entire part of DHS won’t do that. We all know that.”
Kevin Frey, Nora McKee and Peggy Helman contributed reporting.
Jack Fitzpatrick covers Congress for MS NOW. He previously reported for Bloomberg Government, Morning Consult and National Journal. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Arizona State University.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared during a marathon State of the Union on Tuesday that “we’re winning so much” — insisting he’d sparked an economic boom at home and imposed a new world order abroad in hopes it can counter his sliding approval ratings.
Trump’s main objective was convincing increasingly wary Americans that the economy is stronger than many believe, and that they should vote for more of the same by backing Republicans during November’s midterm elections. In all, Trump spoke for a record 108 minutes, breaking — by eight minutes — the previous time mark from his address before a joint session of Congress last year.
The president largely avoided his usual bombast, only occasionally veering off-script — mostly to slam Democrats. As he did during such addresses in his first term, Trump relied on a series of surprise special guests to dramatically punctuate his message. They included U.S. military heroes and a former political prisoner released after U.S. forces toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Trump drew some of the loudest applause of the night when he invited the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team into the House chamber.
“Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me, ‘Please, please, please, Mister President, we’re winning too much. We can’t take it anymore,’” Trump said before introducing the team.
AP AUDIO: Trump uses longest-ever State of the Union to try to convince voters that US is ‘winning so much’
AP correspondent Haya Panjwani reports on President Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address.
The hockey players, wearing their medals and “USA” sweaters, drew a bipartisan standing ovation. Trump pointed to the Democratic side of the chamber and quipped, “That’s the first time I ever I’ve ever seen them get up.”
In a made-for-TV moment, the president announced he would be awarding the Presidential Medal of FreedomAmerica’s highest civilian honor, to the hockey team’s goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck. He also bestowed the Purple Heart on Andrew Wolfe — a National Guard member who was shot while deployed on the streets of the nation’s capital. Wolfe made his first public appearance since then during the speech.
That scene recalled a similar surprise announcement in 2020, when Trump gave the Medal of Freedom to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh during his State of the Union speech.
Trump decries tariff decision as justices look on
The president championed his immigration crackdowns and his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down. He drew applause only from Democrats while describing the high court’s decision, which he called “an unfortunate ruling.”
Trump vowed to plow ahead, using “alternative” laws to impose the taxes on imports and telling lawmakers, “Congressional action will not be necessary.” Trump argued that the tariffs are paid by foreign countries, despite evidence that the costs are borne by American consumers and businesses. “It’s saving our country,” he said.
The only Supreme Court justices attending were Chief Justice John Roberts, as well as Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan. Trump greeted them personally before the speech, despite last week slamming Coney Barrett — who he appointed to the high court in his first term — for siding with the majority against his tariffs.
Democrats also stood for Trump vowing to halt insider trading by members of Congress. But Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat, yelled, “How about you first!” Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, called out, “You’re the most corrupt president!”
When some heckling continued, Trump proclaimed, “You should be ashamed of yourselves.” Later, he pointed at Democrats and proclaimed, “These people are crazy.”
Democratic Rep. Al Green was escorted from the chamber early in the speech, after he unfurled a sign of protest that read “Black People Aren’t Apes!” That was an apparent reference to a racist video the president posted that depicted former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle. Green was also removed during Trump’s address last year.
The president, meanwhile, was mostly optimistic and patriotic, but Trump struck a darker tone in large swaths of his speech to warn about the dangers posed by immigrants. He invited lawmakers from both parties to “protect American citizens, not illegal aliens” and championed proposals to limit mail-in ballots and tighten voter identification rules.
Affordability gets relatively little time
Trump didn’t dwell on efforts to lower the cost of living — despite polling showing that his handling of the economy and kitchen-table issues has increasingly become a liability. Such concerns about the high costs of living helped propel Democratic wins around the country on Election Day last November.
There also are persistent fears that tariffs stoking higher prices could eventually hurt the economy and job creation. Economic growth slowed in the last three months of last year.
It is potentially politically perilous ahead of November elections that could deliver congressional wins to Democrats, just as 2018’s blue wave created a strong check to his administration during his first term.
On Tuesday, Trump blamed his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, along with Democratic lawmakers in the chamber, saying they were responsible for rising prices and health care costs, two issues his political opponents have repeatedly raised against him.
“You caused that problem,” Trump said of affordability concerns. He added a moment later, “They knew their statements were a dirty, rotten lie.”
Trump also said he’d press tech companies involved in artificial intelligence to pay higher electricity rates in areas where their data centers are located. Such data centers tend to use large volumes of electricity, potentially increasing the cost of power to other consumers in the area.
Another notable off-script moment came as Trump was referencing prescription drug prices, saying, “So in my first year of the second term — should be my third term — but strange things happen,” prompting at least one chant in the chamber of “Four more years!”
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who delivered the Democratic response to Trump’s speech, slammed the president’s aggressive immigration policies, his widespread cuts to the federal government and his tariffs.
“Even though the Supreme Court struck these tariffs down four days ago, the damage to us, the American people, has already been done. Meanwhile, the president is planning for new tariffs,” she said. “Another massive tax hike on you and your family.”
A warning to Iran
Trump’s address came as two U.S. aircraft carriers have been dispatched to the Middle East amid tensions with Iran. Trump said, “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy.”
“But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror — which they are, by far — to have a nuclear weapon,” he added.
The president also recounted U.S. airstrikes last summer that pounded Tehran’s nuclear capabilitiesand lauded the raid that ousted Maduro in Venezuela — as well as his administration’s brokering of a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
“As president, I will make peace wherever I can,” Trump said. “But I will never hesitate to confront threats to America, wherever we must.”
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