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A specialized program within the the US Agency for International Development designed to quickly respond to humanitarian emergencies around the world has been dismantled as part of the Trump administration’s gutting of the aid agency, two staffers who were just fired told CNN.
The Support Relief Group, sometimes called “Surge” by its members, comprises “the people that deploy to the frontlines of emerging crises on a moment’s notice,” said one SRG staffer, who was told Friday evening she was being terminated.
“Surge are like reservists for international emergency response. If there’s another Ukraine, another West Africa Ebola, the US won’t be able to respond,” added the now-former staffer, who has just returned to the United States from a dangerous posting outside of the country.
Most of SRG is made up of contractors, who are easier to terminate than career officials.
“People stationed around the world are waking up to the terminations,” the former staffer said Saturday, telling CNN she is in a group chat with more than 180 members. Just a few of those members had not been told they were fired, she said.
The second contractor, who was fired on Friday evening while at dinner with a friend, said he was expecting the news but still called it incomprehensible, after weeks of grieving over what’s being done to hollow out USAID.
“It was a group of really experienced people,” he said. “All of the responses could be really long hours and emotionally draining, so it does feel like a little bit of betrayal that we are being cut loose so suddenly.”
While the State Department has issued a waiver allowing for the continuation of lifesaving assistance, many USAID officials have told CNN about countless programs being halted due to confusion or an inability to communicate after being shut out, payments not being made, and staffers being put on leave or furloughed.
Elon Musk said Saturday that federal employees will receive an email inquiring “what they got done last week” and that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote in a post on X, hours after President Donald Trump suggested he be “more aggressive.”
Shortly after Musk’s post, Trump called the X owner a “patriot” and said he was “doing a great job” during remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Musk did not provide additional details about the emails, including when the deadline is and who they would be sent to. Whether Musk’s plan is legal is also unclear.
Remember: Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency are at the forefront of Trump’s effort to radically reshape the federal workforce — including reducing its size, replacing career workers with political appointees, wiping away some civil service protections, ending diversity efforts and more.
The Trump administration offered federal workers “buyouts” last month, allowing workers to leave their jobs but be paid through the end of September. The plan faced legal challenges, and unions warned workers it was unclear if they would actually receive their pay, though a federal judge last week allowed the Trump administration to move forward for the moment.
Meanwhile, federal workers have been fired by the thousands in several departments, with more planned.
President Donald Trump was briefed Saturday on the health of Pope Francis, who remains hospitalized in “critical” condition.
Trump “has been updated and we’re praying for the Pope,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Saturday. “And I’ll let the president put out his own statement, but of course our thoughts and prayers are with him.”
The Pope has been hospitalized for more than a week and remains in “critical” condition after developing an “asthmatic respiratory crisis” earlier on Saturday, according to a statement from the Vatican.
Trump met Pope Francis during his first term in 2017. The Pope sent the president a cordial message of prayer upon his second inauguration last month, but more recently criticized the president’s mass deportation policy in a letter to American bishops.
President Donald Trump said officials from US Customs and Border Protection will now work out of the US Agency for International Development’s former headquarters, as the administration slashes foreign aid and beefs up immigration enforcement.
“We’ve also effectively ended the left-wing scam known as USAID. The agency’s name has been removed from its former building, and that space will now house agents from Customs and Border Patrol,” Trump said during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, appearing to blend the names of US Customs and Border Protection and the US Border Patrol.
Some background: A federal judge on Friday approved one of the Trump administration’s final actions in its effort to dismantle USAID, permitting the removal of thousands of staff members from their positions both in the United States and abroad.
Elon Musk recently bragged of feeding USAID to a “woodchipper,” as CNN reported.
USAID provided humanitarian and development aid around the world, and the Trump administration’s actions have left billions of dollars of aid in limbo, ending life-saving global health programs, early warning systems and food security efforts.
The president and White House officials have argued USAID spending was wasteful and not aligned with his “America First” policies.
CNN’s Laura Paddison contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump railed against federal employees working from home as his administration initiates a return-to-office mandate that could upend the federal workforce.
Speaking to supporters at a gathering outside Washington on Saturday, Trump suggested that if he were to work remotely, his golf game would improve dramatically — remarks that come after he spent four out of the past eight days at his Florida golf clubs while working remotely himself.
“If they don’t report for work, we’re firing them. In other words, you have to go to office,” Trump said at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “If I’m staying home … my golf handicap would get down to a very low number.”
Trump spent an extended long weekend in Florida and hit the links at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach last Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, he golfed at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami before remarks to a Saudi-backed investment conference.
The president mused that while working remotely, he would be on the phone, saying that he’s “really working,” but also, “Where are my clubs?”
More context: In the first 29 days of his second term, Trump has spent at least 12 nights at home in Florida, most of them over the weekend. During his four years out of office, Trump frequently ridiculed Joe Biden for spending weekends at home in Delaware.
No matter where they travel, all presidents are accompanied by the trappings of office, so Trump’s frequent visits to Florida are hardly unusual during his first month back in power. But his trips home stands in stark contrast to his strident view against remote work, which is a centerpiece of his efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting.
President Donald Trump is celebrating his first month as commander-in-chief during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, addressing a cheering crowd that repeatedly chanted “USA” as the president returned to the gathering for a victory lap.
“On November 5 we stood up to all the corrupt forces that were destroying America. We took away their power. We took away their confidence … and we took back our country,” he said on stage Saturday at the conference outside Washington, DC.
Trump went on to tout the crowd size at the conservative event, as well as the margin of his electoral victory.
“The people have given us a resounding mandate for dramatic change in Washington — and we’re going to deliver it, we’re going to use it,” the president said.
He went on to applaud the confirmation of some of his Cabinet picks, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, and touted elements of his agenda, starting with mass deportation efforts.
The president also praised Elon Musk for his work with the Department of Government Efficiency, after recently posting that he would like to see the tech tycoon “get more aggressive.”
“Elon is doing a great job. He’s doing a great job. We love Elon, don’t we? He’s a character,” Trump said.
This post has been updated with additional comments from the speech.
CNN’s Betsy Klein and Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda met backstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, according to the White House.
The White House published photos on X of the meeting, which was closed to members of the media, ahead of Trump’s remarks at the conservative gathering in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
“President Trump met with President Andrzej Duda of Poland and reaffirmed our close alliance,” the post read, adding that Trump praised Duda “for Poland’s commitment to increase their defense spending.”
Trump mentioned Duda in the opening of his remarks to CPAC, saying he was honored by his attendance and describing the Polish leader as “a fantastic man, and a great friend of mine.”
Some context: Trump’s meeting with Duda comes as leaders across Europe navigate a widening rift between Washington and Kyiv over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
On Friday, Duda shared on X that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called him and they “had a candid conversation on the heels of the recent meetings” with Trump’s US envoy.
Vice President JD Vance on Saturday finished at the top of a Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll of attendees who were asked who they’d back in a Republican presidential primary in 2028.
Sixty-one percent of respondents said they’d vote for Vance if the primary were held today.
The straw poll, which covers conference attendees, is not a scientific survey and does not represent the larger Republican electorate.
Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon was the second choice with 12% of the vote. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had challenged Trump for the GOP primary in 2024, followed with 7% of the vote.
Vance helped kick off the conservative gathering at the National Harbor in Maryland on Thursday.
Also at CPAC today: President Donald Trump is addressing attendees at the conference now.
His speech Saturday follows remarks from other right-wing figures, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who pushed for unity between American and European conservatives as she addressed the crowd.
Meloni said that, despite speculation Trump could divide the US and Europe, “those who hope for divisions will be proven wrong.” Her comment comes as concern grows among European leaders about Trump freezing them out of Ukraine war negotiations.
Meloni is one of several world leaders, including Argentina’s President Javier Milei, making an appearance at CPAC.
This post has been updated with more news from CPAC.
Two Republican Wisconsin congressmen received tough questions and jeers of disapproval from their constituents during town halls this week, adding to recent pushback from voters against President Donald Trump’s actions.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald was questioned by constituents about Ukraine and Elon Musk’s efforts with the Department of Government Efficiency during a town hall Thursday in West Bend, Wisconsin, according to CNN affiliate TMJ4.
One constituent asked, “How can we be represented by you if you don’t have a voice in Congress?” Other attendees brought signs, including one that read “presidents are not kings.” Trump referred to himself as a “king” in a social media post this week.
Fitzgerald disagreed with the president’s comments this week falsely accusing Ukraine of starting the war with Russia. “No, Ukraine did not start the war,” he said at the town hall, adding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky need to be “in the room” for negotiations to end the conflict.
Rep. Glenn Grothman also faced concerns related to Medicare and Medicaid, diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and Social Security, receiving some boos during packed town halls in Fox Crossing and Algoma on Friday, according to CNN affiliate WBAY.
Grotham defended Musk’s efforts on Friday, telling WBAY, “I think if they understood more what was going on they would like him. They just don’t believe the degree to which he’s looking out for the average guy, which is what he is trying to do.”
The reactions from constituents during these town halls add to other public showings of unrest from voters this week. GOP Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia faced some tough criticism and occasional boos from constituents Thursday, while GOP Rep. Cliff Bentz of Oregon faced a similar reaction during a town hall Wednesday.
@cnnRep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) faced angry voters in Roswell, Georgia, who were upset about President Trump attempting to expand his own power using executive orders. #cnn #news #politics
The Trump administration’s purge of the US Agency for International Development continued late Friday after a federal judge dissolved a temporary restraining order blocking the government from putting thousands of the agency’s employees on leave.
At least one known round of firings Friday evening targeted intermittent staff at USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
According to an email and termination notice shared with CNN by one person who was affected, termination will go into effect in 15 days, on March 10.
The bureau is the lead federal agency on international disaster assistance, with some of its employees tasked with responding on short notice to disasters worldwide.
Remember: USAID provided humanitarian and development aid around the world, and the Trump administration’s actions have left billions of dollars of aid in limbo, ending life-saving global health programs, early warning systems and food security efforts.
The president and White House officials have argued USAID spending was wasteful and not aligned with his “America First” policies.
CNN’s Laura Paddison contributed to this report.
Courts across the country are issuing rulings on the slew of legal challenges facing some of President Donald Trump’s top priorities, especially his major overhaul of the federal government.
If you’re just catching up today, here’s what you should know:
- Firing a top government watchdog: The Supreme Court dashed Trump’s plan to immediately fire the head of an independent agency that investigates whistleblower claims, allowing Hampton Dellinger to remain in the job through at least the middle of next week.
- Cracking down on DEI policies: A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from carrying out certain directives to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs. US District Judge Adam Abelson said the government could not freeze or cancel “equity-related” contracts, nor could it require recipients of grants to certify their programs do not promote DEI. In his ruling, Abelson said the directives are likely unconstitutional and his order would apply nationwide.
- Dismantling a key US foreign aid agency: A federal judge, appointed by Trump during his first term, is allowing the administration to move forward with its dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The decision is likely to be appealed.
- Cutting medical research: A federal judge again blocked the Trump administration’s drastic cuts in medical research funding that many scientists say will endanger patients and delay new lifesaving studies. The judge had issued a temporary restraining order earlier this month blocking the cuts.
- DOGE Treasury access: The Department of Government Efficiency’s access to sensitive Treasury data remains blocked after split rulings Friday from federal judges in Virginia and New York.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio credited President Donald Trump’s efforts for securing the release of Gaza hostages after Hamas freed six more Israelis Saturday as part of an ongoing ceasefire deal.
Rubio called on the remaining hostages to be released immediately in a post on X.
“Hamas released six more hostages in Gaza today. Through @POTUS ‘s efforts, more than 30 hostages have been freed in the Phase I ceasefire. Nearly twice as many remain – ALL must be released NOW!”
Today marks the final release of living hostages that was agreed to take place during the first phase of the uneasy Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, which came into effect last month. Israel is due to release 620 Palestinian detainees in return, but has delayed the exchange citing further security reviews.
The outgoing Biden administration and the Trump transition team each played a role in helping secure the ceasefire deal shortly before Trump’s inauguration, according to US and Israeli officials.
The United States has proposed its own United Nations resolution marking the third anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine after refusing to back a resolution drafted by Kyiv and backed by Europe.
In a statement released late Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described it as “a simple, historic resolution … that we urge all member states to support in order to chart a path to peace.”
The draft US resolution, seen by CNN, does not condemn Russia as the aggressor in the conflict, nor does it make any acknowledgement of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
“This resolution is consistent with President Trump’s view that the UN must return to its founding purpose, as enshrined in the UN Charter, to maintain international peace and security, including through the peaceful settlement of disputes,” Rubio’s statement said.
“If the United Nations is truly committed to its original purpose, we must acknowledge that while challenges may arise, the goal of lasting peace remains achievable,” the top US diplomat said. “Through support of this resolution, we affirm that this conflict is awful, that the UN can help end it, and that peace is possible.”
The draft US resolution is brief. It mourns “the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict” and “implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.”
Key context: The resolution comes as President Donald Trump has ratcheted up his antagonism toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and as Europeans and Ukrainians fear they will be sidelined on negotiations with Russia.
It also comes the same week as a diplomatic back-and-forth among Group of Seven members over a joint statement marking the war’s anniversary, in which the US has resisted a reference to “Russian aggression.”
The public detente between President Donald Trump and Big Tech titans, forged in the wake of his return to power, has yet to take hold at the country’s annual gathering of his most devoted supporters.
Inside the Conservative Political Action Conference this week, mentions of Facebook or its billionaire founder Mark Zuckerberg were met with jeers. A speaker from the main stage described Google as “the worst of the worst” tech monopolies. The conference hallways were lined with advertisements for conservative-friendly alternatives to mainstream platforms like X and YouTube.
No industry has pushed harder to repair its relationship with Trump amid his remarkable political comeback than the technology sector. Meta’s Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai made high-profile visits to Mar-a-Lago during the transition. Tech companies and their executives contributed millions to his inaugural celebrations, helping him shatter fundraising records. And X owner Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has become Trump’s right-hand man in turning the federal government upside down.
Musk, in fact, may be the only tech titan who’s been spared the MAGA movement’s wrath. Donning dark sunglasses and brandishing a chainsaw gifted by Argentina President Javier Milei, Musk received a hero’s welcome at CPAC on Thursday for his early work targeting government spending.
Read more on the tech industry’s evolving relationship with Trump, and continue to follow our live updates for coverage of the president’s CPAC appearance later today.
First lady Melania Trump is expected to attend the governors ball at the White House on Saturday evening, a White House official tells CNN, marking a rare appearance for the notoriously private first lady.
Melania Trump’s last public appearance was a January 24 trip with the president to the disaster-ravaged Asheville, North Carolina, and Pacific Palisades, California, areas.
Asked by CNN during that trip what kind of role he expected his wife to have during his second term, President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, “She was always very much involved, but you didn’t see it — more behind the scenes — but she was always a front-of-the-scenes person.”
The president said the first lady “felt very badly” for people in the communities impacted by the recent hurricane and wildfires, “So she wanted to be with me.”
While she spent time meeting with victims of the natural disasters during that trip and attended inaugural events earlier that week, Melania Trump has yet to speak publicly in a formal setting since her husband returned to office.
In an unprecedented purge of the military’s senior leadership Friday night, President Donald Trump fired the top US general just moments before his defense secretary fired the chief of the US Navy and the vice chief of the Air Force.
Trump announced he was dismissing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown and replacing him with Air Force Lt. Gen. John Dan “Razin” Caine — an extraordinary move since Caine is retired, according to an Air Force official, and is not a four-star general.
Minutes later, Hegseth released a statement announcing he’d fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of the Navy.
Hegseth on Friday also that Gen. James Slife, the vice chief of the Air Force, had been fired, and that he was “requesting nominations” for the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy and Air Force, indicating they will be replaced.
Some context: The removal of the second Black man to serve as America’s most senior general and the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff appears to send a strong signal from an administration that has outlawed diversity and inclusion efforts across the military and wider government.
Trump has railed against what he called “woke” generals and officers, and Brown was a frequent target of right-wing criticism.
Hegseth called Franchetti a “DEI hire” in his 2024 book, in which he wrote: “If naval operations suffer, at least we can hold our heads high. Because at least we have another first! The first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — hooray.”
The Judge Advocates General are the military’s top lawyers who administer the military code of justice, including defending and prosecuting US service members in military court.
Don Christensen, a retired military judge who served as the Air Force’s chief prosecutor said the move to replace the JAGs is “extremely concerning.”
A draft deal between the United States and Ukraine over rare earth minerals and other natural resources is “not the one President (Volodymyr) Zelensky would accept,” according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
“It is a strange offer to try and take from a country that is a victim of war, more than it cost to pay for its defence,” the source told CNN.
The US is trying to gain access to Ukraine’s critical minerals and other resources as part of wider negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war. In return, Ukraine has been pushing for security guarantees, with Kyiv not only keen to see the return of lost territory but protection against a possible future Russian invasion.
President Donald Trump claimed Friday that the US and Ukraine were “pretty close” on a deal — an assessment backed up by a US official who said a deal is “nearly done.”
A minerals pact would reduce US dependency on China and provide significant incentive for the United States to boost Ukrainian security, a US official familiar with negotiations told CNN.
“Our countries are more aligned as a result and America will receive access to critical materials, materials we won’t have to rely on China for,” the official said. “Once resources start flowing, America will have even more incentive to protect Ukraine.”
Talks between the two sides have been intensive and ongoing, sources say, and made progress Friday.
Here’s what else you should know:
Trump’s comments on Zelensky and the war:
- Trump said in a Fox News Radio interview on Friday that Zelensky has “no cards” and is not “important to be at meetings,” as he warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could take all of Ukraine “if he wanted.”
- The president repeatedly ignored questions about Russia being to blame for the war in Ukraine before eventually admitting, “Russia attacked,” and then going on to fault the Biden administration and Zelensky.
- The Kremlin appears to be surprised by how quickly Trump has made concessions to his Russian counterpart even before beginning negations to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine, a former Russian deputy minister told CNN.
US special envoy to Ukraine in Kyiv:
- The special envoy Keith Kellogg met with Ukraine’s senior leadership, including Zelensky, in Kyiv on Friday.
- During his visit, Kellogg called Zelensky “the embattled and courageous leader of a nation at war” — a sharp contrast from Trump’s rhetoric. He also met with wounded soldiers and visited a key location of Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion, according to a pool reporter from the New York Post who traveled with Kellogg while he was in the country.
US stock markets fell sharply Friday after an economic report showed American consumers are growing increasingly fearful of price increases and how President Donald Trump’s tariffs could reignite the inflation crisis.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 748 points, or 1.7%. The broader S&P 500 also sank 1.7% and the Nasdaq was 2.2% lower. The Dow tumbled for the second consecutive day, falling about 1,200 points over the course of Thursday and Friday.
The University of Michigan’s latest survey, released Friday, showed that US consumer sentiment declined in February for the second consecutive month, according to a final reading, down by a steep 10% from January. That was double the decline initially reported earlier this month.
The survey found that Americans are losing confidence in the economy, driven primarily by worries over Trump’s tariffs potentially jacking up prices.
A new CNN poll released Thursday similarly showed pessimism on the rise because of prices: Nearly two-thirds of US adults nationwide, 62%, said they feel Trump isn’t doing enough to address inflation. The Michigan survey showed Americans are now fearful of higher inflation on the horizon.
Investors grew fearful that weak consumer sentiment could lead to a pullback in Americans’ shopping habits. Consumer spending makes up more than two-thirds of the US economy.
What else to know: Although there’s no evidence that a recession is anywhere on the horizon, economic data has weakened somewhat in several ways recently.
• Job growth has fallen off over the course of the past year as employers wait to see what the Trump administration’s economic policy will bring — particularly around tariffs, which could severely dent companies’ bottom lines.
• Housing continues to slow down: A National Association of Realtors report Friday shows that sales of existing homes fell 4.9% in January from the previous month, while prices shot up to a record high for the month, exacerbating America’s home affordability crisis.
• Retail sales have dropped recently, too.
