How Elon Muskâs DOGE took over the Education Department, one office at a time
By Annie Nova Staffers from Elon Muskâs secretive government slashing effort, DOGE, have pushed the highest-ranking officials at the Department of Education â even those recently appointed by President Donald Trump â out of their own offices, rearranged the furniture and set up white noise machines to muffle their voices, employees at the agency said. Deprived of her office, acting Education Secretary Denise Carter was spotted last week sitting outside the main leadership suite, one staffer said. Meanwhile, acting Under Secretary James Bergeron held off moving into his office, sources told CNBC, because DOGE staffers were occupying it. âThey took over the top real estate;
Politics Trump ousts director of Office of Government Ethics
By Kathryn Watson President Trump on Monday removed the director of the Office of Government Ethics, the independent agency responsible for overseeing ethics rules and financial disclosures for the executive branch. “OGE has been notified that the President is removing David Huitema as the director of OGE,” the office said in a notice on its website. “OGE is reverting to an Acting Director.” Huitema was appointed to a five-year term by former President Biden. He was confirmed by the Senate in November 2024 and sworn in on December 16, 2024. The office’s website initially listed Shelley Finlayson as its acting director. Finlayson
Durag Festival to return to Charlotte with new location and HBCU-themed celebration
By Madeline Holly-Carouthers Durag Festival will return to Charlotte on June 21 with a new location and opportunities for artists to showcase their creative talents. The festival, founded in 2018 by Lisa Michelle and the Charlotte artist known as Dammit Wesley, merges culture, fashion and creativity. The annual event centers its celebrations on the durag, a head cloth generally used to protect or cover hair. First-time attendees can expect music, food, art, fashion and an atmosphere that is âunapologetically Black,â according to the founders. âThe biggest or the newest change is our location,â Michelle told QCity Metro. âWe will be
Justice Department orders charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams dismissed
By Ken Dilanian, Ryan J. Reilly and Tom Winter Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove has ordered federal prosecutors in New York to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, a senior Justice Department official said Monday evening. The order is for all charges against Adams to be dismissed, and the dismissal is without prejudice, the official said, meaning charges could be refiled in the future. The charges have not yet been dismissed, and federal prosecutors in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night. A formal dismissal request would be filed in court by prosecutors overseen
Trump says he will announce new tariffs on aluminum, steel imports on Monday
By Lucia Suarez Sang President Trump said Sunday that he will announce 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States on Monday. Mr. Trump, speaking on Air Force One on the way to New Orleans to attend the 2025 Super Bowl, said he would also announce “reciprocal tariffs” on Tuesday or Wednesday, which he said will go into effect immediately. This means that the U.S. would impose import duties on products in cases where another country has levied duties on U.S. goods. “If they charge us, we charge them ⊠every country,” he said, adding, “If they are charging
Trump’s DEI policy threatens already thin share of women and minorities in STEM, workers say
By Kimmy Yam While President Donald Trumpâs executive orders have labeled diversity, equity and inclusion programs as âdiscriminatory,â several women who occupy STEM-related positions in the federal government slammed his directives as policies that only seek to widen the existing gender and racial divides. Concerns ranging from limited access to STEM careers to feeling unwelcome under the new administration, women scientists, engineers and other women federal employees told NBC News that they fear for their professional future. âIf we really have a society where thereâs âequalâ participation and anybody can do anything, then where are the women in STEM?â said one
Deadline for Trump’s federal worker buyout proposal temporarily blocked by judge
By Melissa Quinn A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Office of Personnel Management’s deadline for federal employees to accept the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” offer. U.S. District Judge George O’Toole prevented the agency from implementing the program’s deadline during a brief hearing held hours before federal workers were required to notify OPM of whether they would accept or reject the offer to step away from their positions. A Justice Department lawyer said OPM would provide notice to federal employees that the deadline is paused pending further legal proceedings. The agency said that it is extending the deadline for
Protesters in cities across the US rally against Trumpâs policies, Project 2025 and Elon Musk
By Morgan Lee Demonstrators gathered in cities across the U.S. on Wednesday to protest the Trump administrationâs early actions, decrying everything from the presidentâs immigration crackdown to his rollback of transgender rights and a proposal to forcibly transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Protesters in Philadelphia and at state capitols in California, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana and beyond waved signs denouncing President Donald Trump; billionaire Elon Musk, the leader of Trumpâs new Department of Government Efficiency; and Project 2025, a hard-right playbook for American government and society. âIâm appalled by democracyâs changes in the last, well, specifically two weeks â but it started a long time ago,â
Inside Trumpâs Hastily Written Proposal to âOwnâ Gaza
By Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman When President Trump announced his proposal for the United States to take ownership of Gaza on Tuesday, he shocked even senior members of his own White House and government. While his announcement looked formal and thought-out â he read the plan from a sheet of paper â his administration had not done even the most basic planning to examine the feasibility of the idea, according to four people with knowledge of the discussions, who were not authorized to speak publicly. It wasnât only the Americans who were scrambling; the announcement came as just as
Trump signs Black History Month proclamation despite rumors he planned to ‘cancel’ it
By Jessica A. Botelho Despite rumors and misinformation, President Donald Trump recognized February 2025 as National Black History Month. As White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt promised, Trump signed a proclamation on Friday to honor the annual observance. “Every year, National Black History Month is an occasion to celebrate the contributions of so many black American patriots who have indelibly shaped our Nationâs history,” the president noted in a news release. Throughout our history, black Americans have been among our countryâs most consequential leaders, shaping the cultural and political destiny of our Nation in profound ways,” he added. “American heroes such as Frederick Douglass,