What to know today
- The Senate confirmed Howard Lutnick as President Donald Trump's commerce secretary. Earlier in the evening, senators advanced Kash Patel's controversial nomination for FBI director.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Russian foreign minister met in Saudi Arabia for talks on ending the war in Ukraine after Trump said last week that he had held phone conversations with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine on the subject.
- Trump signed three more executive orders this afternoon as he continues an aggressive agenda-setting effort that includes governmentwide cuts to federal agencies.
JFK Library Foundation says temporary closure was due to 'sudden dismissal of federal employees'
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston was unexpectedly closed today, with the library first saying the closure would be indefinite and then that it would reopen tomorrow.
"The sudden dismissal of federal employees at the JFK Library forced the museum to close today. As the Foundation that supports the JFK Library, we are devastated by this news and will continue to support our colleagues and the Library," the JFK Library Foundation said in a statement.
The foundation said any inquiries should be directed to the National Archives press office. When reached for comment, the archives said the library would be open tomorrow but did not elaborate on what caused today's closure.
“The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum will be open tomorrow, and the National Archives staff looks forward to welcoming guests, visitors, and researchers,” the archives statement said.
A sign on the library door today read: “Due to the executive order, the JFK Library will be closed until further notice.”
The library's website this evening displayed a banner on the homepage saying it will be open again tomorrow. Earlier in the day, the banner read, “The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is temporarily closed until further notice.”
Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy’s grandson, posted about the situation on Instagram, blasting the closure and thanking library archivists for their work.
“This isn’t about me — but I have worked with the JFKL staff for decades and they are truly amazing. Thank you to them, to Rachel day Flor, to the ARcHIVISTS OF THE US never thought they’d be on the frontlines of battle but here we are !!” Schlossberg wrote.
Senate confirms Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary
The Senate confirmed Howard Lutnick tonight as Trump's commerce secretary.
The 51-45 vote fell along party lines.
Lutnick, a former cEO of cantor Fitzgerald, served as an adviser during Trump's transition to the White House for his second term.
Senate advances Kash Patel's nomination for FBI director
The Senate advanced Trump's nomination of Kash Patel for FBI director in a 48-45 party-line vote tonight.
The vote allows Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to tee up a confirmation vote for Patel later this week.
Patel's nomination has come under heavy criticism by Democrats over his repeated vows to go after Trump's political opponents.
Trump says Ukraine ‘should have never started it’ in comments about war with Russia
Trump suggested today that Ukraine was responsible for Russia’s invasion of the country three years ago, arguing Kyiv could have made a deal to avoid the conflict.
“You should have never started it,” Trump said of Ukraine while criticizing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has expressed concern that his country was not included in talks between the U.S. and Russia in Saudi Arabia.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them
The United States Department of Agriculture today acknowledged that, over the weekend, it accidentally fired “several” agency employees who are working on the federal government’s response to the H5N1 avian flu outbreak.
In a statement, the agency said it is trying to quickly reverse the firings.
“Although several positions supporting [avian flu] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,” a USDA spokesperson said in a statement. “USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission.”
Asked if Elon Musk is a DOGE employee, Trump says ‘he’s a patriot’
Trump called Elon Musk a “patriot” today when asked to clarify the billionaire’s role within the Department of Government Efficiency after the White House said in a court filing that Musk is not running DOGE.
“Elon is, to me, a patriot. So, you know, you could call him an employee, you could call him a consultant. You could call him whatever you want, but he’s a patriot,” Trump said while speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago.
A filing yesterday from Joshua Fisher, the director of the Office of Administration, said Musk has “no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself” and that Musk is “not the U.S. DOGE Service Administrator.
Trump signs three more executive actions
Trump signed three executive actions from Mar-a-Lago today, including two executive orders and a presidential memo.
White House staff secretary Will Scharf said the first was an executive order tied to the affordability and availability of IVF and other fertility treatments. The order serves as a "directive to the Domestic Policy council to examine ways to make IVF and other fertility treatments more affordable for more Americans," Scharf said.
The order requires the assistant to the president for domestic policy to submit policy recommendations to protect IVF and reduce costs within 90 days of the order.
The second was a presidential memo, Scharf said, requiring that departments and agencies make public details of waste, fraud and abuse that is uncovered as programs are canceled.
The third item Trump signed was an executive order focused on the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs' oversight of executive departments, agencies and independent agencies.
It requires that departments "submit for review all proposed and final significant regulatory actions" to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs before those actions are published in the Federal Register.
The order further empowers the Office of Management and Budget director "to review independent regulatory agencies’ obligations for consistency with the President’s policies and priorities."
It also bars executive branch employees from advancing "an interpretation of the law as the position of the United States that contravenes the President or the Attorney General’s opinion on a matter of law, including but not limited to the issuance of regulations, guidance, and positions advanced in litigation, unless authorized to do so by the President or in writing by the Attorney General."
Judge reinstates fired chair of Merit Systems Protection Board
A federal judge in D.c. today temporarily reinstated cathy Harris as chair of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, about a week after she was informed she was being fired by Trump.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Rudolph contreras found the firing "appears to be nakedly illegal." Harris was nominated for a 7-year term by then-President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the board, which hears claims from federal employees who believe they may have been wrongfully terminated.
The board is supposed to be independent, and members can only be fired by the president because of “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” The Feb. 10 letter to Harris telling her she'd been terminated immediately didn't give any reason for her firing.
contreras' order holds that she should be restored to her job pending a hearing on a preliminary injunction.
Veteran prosecutor resigns over bank freeze order from Trump appointee
A longtime federal prosecutor resigned today rather than carry out what she described as orders from Trump-appointed officials to take actions unsupported by evidence, according to a copy of her resignation letter obtained by NBc News.
Denise cheung, who had been at the Justice Department for over 24 years and was serving the head of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of columbia, wrote in her resignation letter to interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin that she had “always sought to offer sound and ethical counsel” to her bosses throughout multiple administrations, and that she had been asked to take investigative and law enforcement actions despite what she called the lack of “sufficient evidence.”
N.Y. governor to wait on judge before deciding mayor’s future, Sharpton says
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will wait to see what a federal judge does at a hearing tomorrow on the Justice Department's motion to drop charges against New York city Mayor Eric Adams before deciding on Adams’ future, the Rev. Al Sharpton said today.
Sharpton met with Hochul at her office in Manhattan this afternoon. Following the resignations of four of Adams’ deputies, Hochul announced yesterday that she would meet with key leaders and referred to the governor’s constitutional power to remove a mayor.
A federal judge ordered Adams, his attorneys and Justice Department prosecutors to appear in court tomorrow to explain the department’s request to dismiss corruption charges against Adams. The mayor has been accused of engaging in a quid pro quo with the Trump administration involving his cooperation on immigration issues, which he denies.
“My feeling is that the faith of the people of the city has been shaken and there needs to be a resolve, but at the same time we must protect the law and not establish a precedent that could come back to haunt us,” Sharpton said.
Thune says Senate will move on budget reconciliation this week
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., posted on X that he plans to bring the Senate budget reconciliation resolution to the floor this week.
Thune could tee up the resolution as soon as tonight, according to a leadership aide. If he tees it up tonight, there would be 50 hours of debate on the legislation, and then a vote-a-rama on Thursday, which allows senators to vote on dozens of amendments.
The Senate Budget committee reported their budget resolution out of committee on party lines last week, and the House Budget committee reported out their own version last week. Speaker Mike Johnson called the Senate budget resolution a “nonstarter.”
Senator who delivered key vote for RFK Jr. advocates for vaccine efficacy
Sen. Bill cassidy, R-La., a physician and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, touted the efficacy of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in a post on X today.
“This is a serious measles outbreak in Texas,” cassidy wrote in the post, which was accompanied by a graphic and vaccine statistics. “The measles vaccine has been proven safe & effective since 1963.”
cassidy posted the statement in response to a Fox News article detailing the measles outbreak in southern Texas, where cases have doubled in cases since last week, the news outlet said.
cassidy expressed skepticism over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s ability to lead the Health and Human Services Department, citing Kennedy's longstanding history of anti-vaccine rhetoric and misinformation.
cassidy had said he was "struggling" with Kennedy's nomination, but ultimately voted to confirm him last week.
Hiring freeze of firefighters could be deadly, Forest Service captain warns
Reporting from Skamania county, Wash.
A freeze on the hiring and onboarding of thousands of federal firefighters could have deadly consequences as the national wildfire response operates at a “diminished capacity,” a federal firefighting captain told NBc News.
The federal hiring freeze ordered last month by President Donald Trump will hinder the U.S. Forest Service’s ability to “deliver the lifesaving service that Americans deserve,” said capt. Ben McLane, who serves in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, in southern Washington.
cIA steps up drone surveillance over Mexico to track cartels
The central Intelligence Agency has expanded drone surveillance flights over Mexico as part of a Trump administration effort to focus more resources on tracking fentanyl labs and countering drug cartels, a U.S. official told NBc News.
The secret flights involving MQ-9 Reaper drones began under the Biden administration, with the information collected then being shared with Mexican authorities, the U.S. official said.
The flights were first reported by The New York Times.
The cIA declined to comment on the drone flights. But an agency spokesperson said tackling drug trafficking networks in the region was a top priority for the new cIA director, John Ratcliffe, "as part of the Trump Administration’s broader efforts to end the grave threat from narcotrafficking.”
“Director Ratcliffe is determined to put cIA’s unique expertise to work against this multifaceted challenge," the spokesperson said.
Apart from the cIA drone flights, the U.S. military has stepped up airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels along the southern border, Gen. Gregory Guillot, the head of Northern command, told senators last week.
Foreign service worker says pregnant wife faces ‘life-threatening‘ complications amid Trump’s USAID shutdown
A foreign service worker whose pregnant wife allegedly was denied emergency medical transport while stationed abroad has filed an affidavit against the Trump administration, claiming its “rushed, haphazard and cruel” push to shut down the agency has placed the mother and unborn daughter at grave risk.
The worker, who filed the complaint anonymously as “Terry Doe” in federal court in Washington, D.c., charges that the U.S. government twice denied previously approved medical transport orders for the mother, who is 31-weeks pregnant.
“Each day has brought a new constellation of suffering,” the worker said in the complaint, describing the administration’s directives as conflicting, confusing and cruel. “Because of the stress and strain of the constant onslaught by my employer in recent weeks my wife has repeatedly been in the hospital with a life-threatening condition and stress-related complications.”
Eric Adams files letter detailing Jan. 31 meeting with acting Deputy AG Emil Bove
In another filing in New York Mayor Eric Adams’ federal case this morning, Adams’ attorney denied allegations of a quid pro quo and included a letter detailing a meeting with acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove.
Adams’ legal team met with Bove on Jan. 31 and submitted the letter to the Justice Department on Feb. 3, after Bove requested the lawyers make record of their positions in writing, according to the filing.
Adams’ attorney wrote in the letter to Bove that the mayor’s “political muscle is weakened by an indictment” and that the indictment will hamper his ability to keep up with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
“To be clear, Mayor Adams has always been laser-focused on addressing the migrant crisis, and that will not change no matter what happens with this case,” the letter reads. “But the simple reality is that there is only so much one man can hope to do while also fighting for his liberty and to restore his good name.”
Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor Danielle R. Sassoon, who has since resigned, refused to drop the charges against Adams after Bove ordered U.S. prosecutors to do so, which resulted in at least seven Justice Department officials resigning. In a memo to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Sassoon wrote that she was troubled by the Jan. 31 meeting and that “Adams’s attorneys repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo.” Adams has pleaded not guilty and alleged the charges are politically motivated.
“There is a reason that the Justice Department does not prosecute sitting presidents, and while a mayor is not a president, Mayor Adams is nonetheless the leader of this country’s largest city and needs to be an important partner to the President and his administration,” the letter to Bove says.
Four of Adams’ deputies announced their resignations yesterday amid the fallout. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would meet with “key leaders” today to discuss a “path forward” for New York city.
Adams’ attorney filed today the mayor’s written consent agreeing to the dismissal of charges without prejudice, which means charges could be refiled in the future.
Judge denies bid to block DOGE from accessing Education Department data
A federal judge in Washington last night denied a student group's request for a restraining order to block DOGE from getting access to sensitive data systems at the Department of Education, finding the group didn't show “it will likely suffer irreparable harm.”
The harms the plaintiffs said they could suffer is "entirely conjectural," U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss found. "UcSA provides no evidence, beyond sheer speculation, that would allow the court to infer that ED or DOGE staffers will misuse or further disseminate this information," he wrote.
The group had said it feared DOGE access to members' records could lead to those records being improperly disclosed, but the government countered that the DOGE employees inside the agency were following the applicable laws.
The judge noted "ED and DOGE staffers are obligated to use UcSA members’ information for lawful purposes within the mission of the Department of Education and to keep it confidential, in accordance with the Privacy Act, tax laws, and other federal laws."
"Moreover, 'the courts must presume' that the government will exercise its powers 'responsibly' and with 'due regard' to affected individuals," Moss wrote, denying the request for a temporary restraining order.
Head of FDA food division resigns
Jim Jones, head of the food division at the Food and Drug Administration, has resigned, according to a source familiar with the matter. The division is tasked with ensuring that the country’s food supply is safe, overseeing inspections and recalls.
Jones’ resignation comes after the Trump administration last week cut thousands of federal workers, including some who worked at the FDA. The source didn’t provide a reason for Jones’ resignation.
As U.S. and Putin negotiate, intel shows he’s not interested ‘in a real peace deal,’ sources say
As the Trump administration begins preliminary talks with Russian officials about ending the war in Ukraine, intelligence from the United States and close allies currently shows that Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to control all of Ukraine, according to four Western intelligence officials and two U.S. congressional officials.
“We have zero intelligence that Putin is interested in a real peace deal right now,” one of the congressional officials said.
Judge appears unlikely to immediately halt DOGE access and firings
A federal judge in Washington, D.c., hinted yesterday that she might not throw up immediate roadblocks to Elon Musk’s infiltration of the nation’s government agencies, where he and his team have accessed sensitive data and enacted a flurry of firings.
U.S. District Judge Tanya chutkan said at a hearing that she needed to see more evidence of imminent harm before she granted a request by a group of states for a temporary restraining order to stop Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency team from entering federal agency data systems and prohibited their making personnel decisions about federal employees.
She said she would try to issue a ruling by today.
Musk super PAc jumps into Wisconsin Supreme court race
Building America's Future, a super PAc funded by Elon Musk, is jumping into the Wisconsin Supreme court race, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.
The group is looking to launch ads Thursday that run through early March and has spent $1.5 million on the ad buy so far.
The race for the open state Supreme court seat, set for April 1, is expected to be competitive and expensive. Liberal state Judge Susan crawford is facing conservative state Judge Brad Schimel.
Hochul to discuss ‘path forward’ after Adams’ deputies resign amid mayor’s agreement to work with Trump
Four of New York city Mayor Eric Adams’ deputies have resigned amid the fallout over the Justice Department’s move to dismiss corruption charges against him last week and his cooperation with the Trump administration on immigration matters.
Hours after the resignations were made public, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that she would be meeting today with “key leaders” to discuss a “path forward” to ensure stability for New York city. In a statement, she also addressed the governor’s constitutional power to remove a mayor.
Adams’ deputies resign amid dismissal of charges and cooperation with Trump
Eric Adams’ future as New York city mayor is growing more uncertain as four of his deputies resigned after Adams agreed to cooperate with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement. This comes amid continued fallout from the Justice Department’s move to dismiss corruption charges against him.
More than 850 former federal prosecutors sign letter of support for current DOJ prosecutors
More than 850 former federal prosecutors have signed a letter of support for current U.S. prosecutors after last week’s resignations following the dismissal of charges against New York city Mayor Eric Adams.
The letter, obtained by NBc News, was signed by former special counsel Jack Smith, who oversaw investigations into Trump; Robert Khuzami, who spearheaded the federal investigation into Trump’s hush money payments; former Westchester county District Attorney Mimi Rocah, and others.
"Some of you have been ordered to make charging decisions based expressly on considerations other than the facts and the law, including to serve solely political purposes," the letter says. "Some of you have been forced to consider whether your actions will result in the elimination of the Public Integrity Section, created in the wake of the Watergate scandal, and whose vital work is intended to protect the public from government corruption. Several of you have resigned, and others are wondering what will happen to the Department we served and revere."
They said, "generations of former federal prosecutors are watching with pride and admiration and stand ready to support you" as they face additional challenges under the Trump administration.
Federal judge denies effort to block DOGE from accessing Americans' data at Education Department
A federal judge has denied an effort to immediately block DOGE staff from accessing Americans' personal data stored at the Education Department.
U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of the District of columbia wrote in an order yesterday that the plaintiff, the University california Student Association, "has failed to clear" the "essential hurdle" by not showing how it would likely suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an emergency injunction.
"UcSA is correct that a disclosure of information generally cannot be “undone,” ... but that is not sufficient to show irreparable harm," the judge wrote.
The judge continued, "What UcSA overlooks is that the context of the dissemination matters. courts find dissemination of information to be an irreparable injury where, for example, highly sensitive information will be made public, or ends up in the hands of someone with no obligation to keep it confidential."
Moss, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, also argued that the UcSA provided "no evidence, beyond sheer speculation, that would allow the court to infer that ED or DOGE staffers will misuse or further disseminate this information."
Department of Homeland Security preparing to fire hundreds of senior leaders this week
The Trump administration is preparing to fire hundreds of high-level Department of Homeland Security employees this week as part of a move to rid the country’s third-largest agency of people deemed to be misaligned with the administration’s goals, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The sources said the Trump administration has a “centralized plan” and a list of people in high-level positions across every component of DHS who are to be targeted this week.
The firings will come on top of hundreds of more general cuts that began across DHS on Friday night, which targeted the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. citizenship and Immigration Services, and the cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Supreme court could decide whom Trump is allowed to fire
In what could be the first Supreme court case of its kind, the Justice Department is expected to ask the Supreme court to keep a fired government watchdog off the job while litigation proceeds. The implications of that potential case could ultimately decide whom the president is allowed to fire, as Trump reshapes the federal government. NBc News’ Laura Jarrett explains.
Top Social Security official steps down after disagreement with DOGE over sensitive data
Michelle King, the top official at the Social Security Administration, left her position this weekend after she refused a request from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access sensitive government records at the agency, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields confirmed in a statement that King was no longer the head of the agency.
U.S. and Russia kick off high-level talks that exclude Ukraine and Europe
The United States and Russia kicked off high-level talks marking Trump‘s reversal of American policy on Moscow, fueling fears in Kyiv and building the Kremlin’s hopes of re-entering the international mainstream.
Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Saudi Arabia, which is mediating the talks and is itself looking to boost its credentials as a world power.
While attention in Europe was focused on the war in Ukraine, the meeting is a major turning point in Washington’s relationship with Moscow, which has been diplomatically and financially isolated since it launched its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.