As questions swirl around the fate of the secretary of defense, former colleagues paint a troubling picture of Hegseth’s Pentagon. (Image credit: Andrew Harnik)
Category: NPR
DOGE employees gain accounts on classified networks holding nuclear secrets
Two DOGE employees have access to a network used to transmit classified nuclear weapons data and a separate network used by the Department of Defense, sources tell NPR.
NATO chief calls for more defense spending from Europe and Canada
President Trump has long been a critic of NATO and believes Europe does not contribute enough to its own defense. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte agrees, and says ‘that is going to happen.’ (Image credit: AP Photo)
What has DOGE done in Trump’s first 100 days?
100 days into President Trump’s second term, DOGE hasn’t delivered on its promised savings, efficiency or transparency in meaningful ways. But it has amassed unprecedented power over government data. (Image credit: Andrew Harnik)
Trump needs unity among Republicans to pass his budget bill. Can he get it?
Congress returns from a two-week recess with a massive item on its to-do list: budget reconciliation. Lawmakers barely passed the plan’s framework along party lines and now face an uphill battle on reaching consensus. (Image credit: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag)
Politics chat: Trump meets Zelenskyy, China denies being in negotiations with U.S.
The Trump administration is in active negotiations for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine but does not seem to be in talks with China over trade.
The next AOC? Young Democrats are aiming to topple incumbents inside their own party
Frustrated with their party’s response to President Trump, young Democrats are challenging incumbents in safe blue districts ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Federal work shaped a Black middle class. Now it’s destabilized by Trump’s job cuts
For generations of Black workers, federal government jobs have provided a path into the middle class. The Trump administration’s workforce cuts are now throwing that sense of stability up in the air. (Image credit: Kyna Uwaeme for NPR)
Takeaways from the week — and how they’ve affected President Trump’s polling numbers
This week, President Trump seemed to take a softer tone when asked about the trade war with China. Here are four takeaways from week 14 in our continued look at Trump’s first 100 days in office.
Trump has his old friend Steve Witkoff leading his toughest diplomatic talks
President Trump has put Steve Witkoff — a friend from New York’s real estate world — in charge of delicate talks on the war in Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the conflict in Gaza. (Image credit: Evelyn Hockstein)
Employee cuts at Social Security are leaving remaining workers struggling to keep up
Social Security employees are feeling “overwhelmed” and wait times for phone services are up as workforce cuts from the Trump administration are being felt throughout the agency. (Image credit: George Walker IV)
Justice Department revokes Biden-era protections for reporters in leak investigations
In a new memo, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the DOJ will allow for subpoenas, court orders and search warrants to get information and testimony from journalists. (Image credit: Win McNamee)
Week in politics: Almost 100 days into Trump’s second term, a look back
Nearly 100 days into his new term, President Trump has set an aggressive agenda, spending his political capital and losing some of the public approval he began with.
Trump meets Zelenskyy during visit to Pope Francis’ funeral
It was their first face-to-face meeting since they argued in front of cameras in the Oval Office in February — and comes as efforts intensify to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. (Image credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office)
Why judges blocked the Trump admin’s school DEI crackdown
On Thursday, three federal judges in Maryland, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C., said Trump’s anti-DEI efforts were on shaky legal ground. (Image credit: Alex Brandon)
Alexis Herman, the first Black secretary of labor in U.S. history, dies at age 77
Civil rights groups, labor organizations and politicians praised Alexis Herman as a “trailblazer” who fought for the rights of women, Black people and American workers over the course of decades. (Image credit: Ethan Miller)
U.S. judge says 2-year-old apparently deported to Honduras ‘with no meaningful process’
The toddler, a U.S. citizen, was apparently sent to Honduras with her mother and 11-year-old sister, even as a federal judge tried to contact an attorney representing the government. (Image credit: Michael M. Santiago)
Journalist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate weighs in on Trump and press freedoms
NPR’s Scott Detrow speaks with journalist Maria Ressa, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, about the Trump administration and press freedoms.