Continued destruction.....

Here’s the latest on Trump's federal overhaul

From CNN staff

The Trump administration is pushing ahead with its agenda to reshape the federal government with sweeping cuts to staff and costs.

Tasked with the cuts, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to closely guarded government data — including sensitive information it has collected on the American public — has become a battleground in the legal fight against the administration’s efforts

Here’s what else you should know:

•  Musk’s role at the White House: Trump defended Musk’s role in his administration, saying “you can call him an employee, you can call him a consultant, you can call him whatever you want.” Trump’s comments were in response to a question asking the president to clarify Musk’s position in the administration. Specifically, a recent court filing said Musk had no authority to make decisions because he is not a DOGE employee.
• Court win for DOGE: A federal judge has declined to temporarily block Musk and DOGE from accessing federal data systems at a slew of executive branch agencies.
•  DOGE defense: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has defended Musk’s DOGE on Fox News, saying that “for the first time in my lifetime,” the country will see “a proper accounting,” and that there is “waste, fraud and abuse” flowing through Washington. Bessent was optimistic that DOGE would save the economy tens of billions of dollars.
• FDA food chief resigns: Jim Jones, who oversaw food safety and nutrition at the US Food and Drug Administration, resigned from the agency over apparent disagreements with the Trump administration and newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Government watchdog reinstated: A judge ruled that Cathy Harris could return to her post on the federal Merit Systems Protection Board as he reviews her lawsuit challenging her firing. The independent entity reviews claims made by federal employees about violations of civil service laws.
• Fired nuclear security employees: Trump said he is “not at all” concerned after his administration fired more than 300 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration before quickly moving to rehire many at the agency, which is tasked with managing the nation’s nuclear weapons.
• Fired cybersecurity workers: The Trump administration has started the process of firing roughly 130 personnel at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as part of its move to downsize the federal workforce, according to three sources.
• Reinstatements: About 30 federal workers who maintain the power grid for the Pacific Northwest have been asked to return to work after being terminated two days earlier. The employees hold mission-critical roles at the Bonneville Power Administration, a division within the Department of Energy that serves electricity to nearly 3 million people in the Pacific Northwest.
• Pentagon jobs on the line: The Department of Defense is reviewing lists of civilian probationary employees for potential termination that could come this week, US officials told CNN, following a string of firings of other probationary employees at other federal agencies. Combatant commands — the major US military commands around the globe — were asked to submit lists of probationary employees, one official said. Two other officials said the Pentagon is expected to be reviewing a list of the employees, including requests to exempt certain people for national security purposes, and make decisions imminently.
• JFK Library: The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston was forced to close Tuesday due to the “sudden dismissal of federal employees,” the library’s foundation said.