Politics

(WASHINGTON) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered an immediate pause on gender-affirming medical care procedures for all active-duty service members in a memo that was addressed to senior Pentagon leadership and military command. The Feb. 7, 2025, memo, which was obtained today by ABC News, also ordered an immediate pause on all new promotions in […]

(WASHINGTON) — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an independent agency formed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to safeguard Americans against unfair business practices, is the newest target of Elon Musk and the Trump administration. The agency is at a virtual standstill after Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and Russell Vought, the leader […]

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump and key members of his administration are lashing out at judges who have halted some of his second-term agenda, suggesting they don’t have the authority to question his executive power. So far, the courts have pushed back on Trump’s attempts to end birthright citizenship, freeze federal grants, and the overhaul […]

Republican Rep. Mike Turner on Sunday refuted claims that the massive overhaul of the federal government by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) constitutes a federal crisis. “Elon Musk goes about his job, which is a very important job, I mean the fact that we have Elon Musk looking from the private sector into […]

In an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy warned of an “assault on the Constitution” under President Donald Trump. “I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly since Watergate,” Murphy said. “The president is attempting to seize control of power, and for […]

(WASHINGTON) — Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency group has made swift work of the billionaire’s goal to scale back or dismantle much of the federal government, end diversity policies and otherwise further President Donald Trump’s agenda. DOGE employees, many of whom have no government experience, have been going through data systems, shutting down DEI […]

(WASHINGTON) — Environmental nonprofits are gearing up to challenge some of the actions President Donald Trump has issued since taking office. There is litigation coming for the majority of the executive orders Trump has signed so far that affect the environment, conservation and decarbonizing the economy, several nonprofits told ABC News. Environmental lawyers are also […]

(WASHINGTON) — Seven people have filed a federal lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring that the U.S. government would only recognize a person’s sex assigned at birth on government-issued documents. The complaint, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, accuses the State Department of rejecting some applications from transgender citizens or issuing […]

(WASHINGTON) — Current and former U.S. Agency for International Development officials, speaking anonymously due to fear of retribution, blasted the Trump administration’s gutting of the aid agency, saying it has left critical partners in the lurch and much of its staff in limbo overseas. In addition to the humanitarian work that has halted, scores of career USAID […]

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in a high-stakes visit for a key ally that depends on the United States for security and trade. At the top of the agenda is military cooperation to deter threats, foreign investment in the U.S., opportunities to develop technology and American energy […]