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ABC News

White House says some employees were fired by mistake

PHOTO: A view shows the logo of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), after probationary staff at the OPM were fired in a conference call and given less than an hour to leave the building, outside OPM in Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 2025.
2:53
Tierney L. Cross/Reuters
Trump makes appearance at NASCAR's Daytona 500
By Alexandra Hutzler, Emily Chang, Kevin Shalvey, Meredith Deliso, Julia Reinstein, Ivan Pereira, Jon Haworth
Last Updated: February 13, 2025, 11:11 AM

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."

Latest headlines:

  • Some employees who accepted buyout offer were fired by mistake: White House
  • Trump asks SCOTUS for permission to fire ethics watchdog
  • DOE official warns all schools to end 'discriminatory' DEI policies
  • 13 soon to be immigration judges, 2 current judges fired by Trump admin, union says
  • US floats proposal to own 50% of revenue of Ukraine's rare earth minerals
Here's how the news is developing.

Feb 13, 2025 11:11 AM

White House sends termination letters to holdover US attorneys

The White House sent letters to multiple Biden-appointed holdover U.S. attorneys informing them of their termination, sources familiar with the matter confirm to ABC News.

The emails were sent on Wednesday by the deputy director of the White House's office of presidential personnel, Sergio Gor, and informed the U.S. attorneys they were ousted "effective immediately."

PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump looks on, during Tulsi Gabbard's swearing in ceremony as Director of National Intelligence, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 12, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on, during Tulsi Gabbard's swearing in ceremony as Director of National Intelligence, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 12, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters

The move doesn't come as a surprise given the broader shake-up by the administration of senior career officials at both the FBI and Department of Justice, who — in contrast — are not typically removed or reassigned from their posts across administrations. Removals of holdover U.S. attorneys, on the other hand, have become much more common in recent years.

In March of 2017, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions requested the resignations of more than 40 U.S. attorneys who had stayed in their posts from the Obama administration. And in February of 2021, dozens of holdover U.S. attorneys from the Trump Administration were asked to resign by the end of the month by the Biden Administration.

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin


Feb 13, 2025 4:26 AM

Hochul calls DOJ lawsuit against New York 'worthless'

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday evening replied to Attorney General Pam Bondi's claim that the Department of Justice was taking legal action against the State of New York over its alleged resistance to President Donald Trump's illegal immigration crackdown.

In the statement, Hochul said that Bondi "marched in front of the television cameras for a dramatic media briefing to announce she was filing charges against New York State related to our immigration laws" earlier that day. But it turned out to be "smoke and mirrors" because the DOJ was actually filing what Hochul called "a routine civil action about a law passed in 2019 that has been upheld by the courts time and again."

PHOTO: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Aug. 19, 2024.
Paul Sancya/AP
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Aug. 19, 2024.
Paul Sancya/AP

"Here are the facts: our current laws allow federal immigration officials to access any DMV database with a judicial warrant. That's a common-sense approach that most New Yorkers support. But there's no way I'm letting federal agents, or Elon Musk's shadowy DOGE operation, get unfettered access to the personal data of any New Yorker in the DMV system like 16-year-old kids learning to drive and other vulnerable people," the statement continued.

Calling the action a "worthless, publicity-driven lawsuit," Hochul predicted that it would be a "total failure."

"Let me be clear: New York is not backing down," she said.

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous


Feb 13, 2025 2:21 AM

Trump meets with American Airlines CEO to discuss aviation safety

President Donald Trump met with American Airlines CEO Robert Isom on Wednesday, marking their first in-person meeting since the airline was involved in a deadly collision with a military helicopter last month in Washington, D.C. The crash left 67 dead on Jan. 29.

PHOTO: CEO of the American Airlines Robert Isom addresses the media in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
CEO of the American Airlines Robert Isom addresses the media, after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into Potomac River, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was also present with Trump and Isom to discuss "ways to make investments in a state-of-the-art air traffic system that enhances aviation safety," according to a spokesperson for the airline.

In a statement provided to ABC News on Wednesday night, American Airlines said, "Robert thanked President Trump for his leadership and commitment to take bold action on investments in aviation safety. The American Airlines team will continue to work together with President Trump, Secretary Duffy, Congress and the entire aviation industry to make our systems even safer."

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Sam Sweeney



Feb 13, 2025 2:13 AM

Final vote on RFK Jr.'s nomination for HHS secretary set for Thursday

The Senate has pushed back the time members are scheduled to vote on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to serve as health and human services secretary to later in the morning on Thursday.

The vote was slated to occur during the early hours, but the change means the final confirmation vote for RFK Jr. will now occur around 10:30 a.m. ET.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray


Feb 12, 2025 2:56 PM

Trump blames Biden for inflation numbers

In a new Truth Social post, President Donald Trump responded to the inflation numbers saying only: "BIDEN INFLATION UP!"

Lowering prices was one of Trump's campaign promises, but with Wednesday's less-than-rosy economic report, Trump is punting blame onto his predecessor.

-- ABC News' Michelle Stoddart


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