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."
171 DEI and environmental justice staffers now on leave from EPA, agency says
Some 171 staffers are now on administrative leave from the Environmental Protection Agency's teams responsible for diversity, equity and inclusion and environmental justice.
In a Tuesday morning press release, the EPA provided the updated numbers, saying that 11 DEI staff and 160 environmental justice staff have been placed on leave as the agency tries to comply with Trump's DEI executive order.
In this Feb. 6, 2025, file photo, the Environmental Protection Agency building is shown in Washington, D.C.
Al Drago/Getty Images, FILE
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin took aim at the Biden administration in the announcement, saying, "The previous Administration used DEI and Environmental Justice to advance ideological priorities, distributing billions of dollars to organizations in the name of climate equity."
-ABC News' Kelly Livingston
Feb 11, 2025, 5:37 AM EST
Trump administration faces legal change from USAID union members
A union representing nearly 2,000 foreign service officers at the U.S. Agency for International Development said in a court filing that the Trump administration is failing to comply with last week’s temporary restraining order to prevent the dismantling of USAID.
The allegation -- made in an emergency motion on Monday night -- marked the second time the Trump administration attracted criticism for failing to comply with court orders and came amid heightened criticism of the judicial branch from billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance.
An American flag and USAID flag fly outside the USAID building in Washington, D.C., Feb. 1, 2025.
Annabelle Gordon/Reuters
The American Foreign Service Association cited multiple examples of employees continuing to be placed on leave and to be locked out of their computers, despite a temporary restraining order Friday preventing the Trump administration from their plan to place 2,200 employees on leave.
"Beyond non-compliance with the TRO, factual developments that occurred immediately before and in the wake of the February 7 hearing also suggest that the government intends to continue taking potentially irreversible actions to dismantle the agency before the Court can adjudicate the lawfulness of those actions," the lawsuit said.
Priya Kathpal, right, and Taylor Williamson, left, who work for a company doing contract work for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, carry signs outside the USAID headquarters in Washington, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Accusing the Trump administration of continuing to take "immediate, irreparable action to dismantle" USAID, the foreign service union asked for a hearing on Tuesday to ensure the Trump administration complies with the order.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and Peter Charalambous
Feb 10, 2025, 11:37 PM EST
Hegseth changes name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg
Fort Liberty will once again be known as Fort Bragg, by order of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth signed an order on Monday night authorizing the name change while he was flying to Europe.
“Bragg is back!” Hegseth posted on X, along with a video of himself signing the order from his plane.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signs a memorandum reversing the name of Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg on Feb. 10, 2025.
Petty Officer 1st Class Alexande/Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs
The base is not being renamed in honor of Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg — for whom it was originally named. Instead, it is named for World War II hero Roland L. Bragg, an Army PFC who received both a Silver Star for his heroism during the Battle of the Bulge and a Purple Heart, according to a statement from the Department of Defense.
"This change underscores the installation’s legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation," the statement said.
This means that President Donald Trump has been able to fulfill his campaign promise to change the name back without risking blowback for glorifying the Confederacy.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez
Feb 10, 2025, 11:05 PM EST
Union representing USAID workers files emergency motion
American Foreign Service Association -- a union representing nearly 2,000 foreign service officers at USAID -- is raising concerns that President Donald Trump's administration is failing to comply with last week’s temporary restraining order to prevent the dismantling of USAID.
The emergency motion filed on Monday night marks the second time the Trump administration has attracted criticism for failing to comply with court orders and comes amid heightened criticism of the judicial branch from Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance.
The flag of the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, right, flies alongside the American flag in front the USAID office in Washington, Feb. 3, 2025.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
The union cited multiple examples of employees continuing to be placed on leave and to be locked out of their computers, despite a temporary restraining order Friday preventing the Trump administration from its plan to place 2,200 employees on leave.
Accusing the Trump administration of continuing to take "immediate, irreparable action to dismantle" USAID, the foreign service union asked for a hearing Tuesday to ensure the administration complies with the order.
-ABC News' Peter Charalambous and Katherine Faulders
