Trump fires the Chief of Staff of the US Armed Forces

Contrary to the tradition of retaining the current occupant of the top military post, US President Donald Trump has appointed a new Chief of Staff of the US Armed Forces. He thanked Charles Q. Brown for 40 years of service to the country - including in his most recent position - and wished him and his family a "great future," Trump wrote on his online mouthpiece Truth Social. Trump nominated former Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Caine to succeed him in the post, which is directly subordinate to the US Secretary of Defense.

In previous changes of government, the appointment of the Chief of Staff had usually been retained. According to the New York Times, Brown was only the second African American to hold the top post. Trump's Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had stated shortly after his own nomination that, in his view, Brown should be fired - because of his focus on diversity, equal treatment and inclusion issues in the US military, the newspaper wrote.

In total, the administration fired six top Pentagon executives, including Navy Chief Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to head the U.S. Navy.

Caine praised Trump on Truth Social as an "experienced pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur and war fighter." In the fight against the terrorist militia IS in Iraq, Caine "delivered" and ensured the annihilation of the so-called caliphate in record time. Despite his high qualifications, Caine was passed over by the previous administration under Joe Biden when it came to filling top positions, wrote Trump. "But not anymore!"

As a retired soldier, Caine would have to be recalled to serve in order to become Chief of Staff, according to the New York Times . The US Senate also still has to confirm the appointment. (dpa)

News agency sues White House after expulsion

The US news agency Associated Press (AP) has sued US government employees over the decision to prevent their reporting in the White House . Citing freedom of opinion and speech, the AP filed the lawsuit in Washington on Friday.

The background to the conflict with the US government is the AP's refusal to use Donald Trump's new name for the Gulf of Mexico - "Gulf of America" ​​- in its reporting. The White House has repeatedly excluded AP journalists from events and also denied them access to Air Force One, the US President's plane. Trump accuses the news agency of not abiding by the law and of treating him and the Republicans badly. He ordered the renaming of the bay by executive order.

The press and all people in the United States have the right to choose their own words without suffering retaliation from the government, the news agency argues in the lawsuit. "Allowing such government control and retaliation is a threat to the freedom of every American." AP is suing to defend its constitutional rights, restore access to the White House and ensure free reporting on the government.

The court document names White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as defendants. They feel they are justified in their position, Leavitt said during an appearance at a conference. "We will ensure that truth and accuracy prevail in the White House every day."

The name "Gulf of Mexico" for the marginal sea of ​​the Atlantic has been in use since the 16th century. The waters border several US states as well as Mexico and Cuba. According to Trump's decree, the name change applies to the area up to the maritime borders of Mexico and Cuba.

News agencies from Europe had previously criticized the White House's difficulty in granting AP access. The Associated Press is one of the world's most important news agencies. (dpa)

Judge lifts temporary injunction against dismissals

A federal judge in Washington has ruled that the US government can suspend employees of the US development agency USAID and remove them from their posts. Judge Carl Nichols lifted his temporary injunction of February 7. Thousands of employees are affected.

In the 26-page ruling, Nichols said the plaintiff government employee union AFGE and the diplomatic association American Foreign Service Association had not proven that they were at risk of "imminent, irreparable harm." The complaints must be resolved under labor law and not in federal court.

AFGE President Everett Kelley regretted the ruling. The union will continue to oppose the government's "illegal" plan to dismantle USAID, it said. The future of the agency, which was founded in 1961 and operates in more than 100 countries, is uncertain. President Donald Trump and his "efficiency adviser" Elon Musk have spoken out in favor of abolishing it. Trump has stopped payments for numerous aid projects. Courts are examining the legality of the stops.

Aid organizations speak of catastrophic effects on health and food aid. Oxfam America CEO Abby Maxman condemned the government's actions against "life-saving programs around the world" on Friday as "cruel." The Trump administration believes that USAID's activities do not fit the priorities of the new administration. (epd)

Donald Trump restricts economic relations with China

US President Donald Trump has announced new regulations to prevent US companies from exploiting China's military resources. It is also intended to prevent people associated with China from buying up critical US companies and assets. The president's comments are made in a memorandum from the White House to the US Treasury Secretary. The memo is titled "America First Investment Policy". (rtr)

Trump is considering tariffs against numerous nations

US President Donald Trump is reviewing the imposition of tariffs on imports from countries that impose digital services taxes on US technology companies. "What they are doing to us in other countries with digital is terrible," Trump told reporters on Friday (local time) before signing the memorandum. A White House official said Trump is instructing his administration to consider countermeasures such as tariffs "to combat the digital services taxes, fines, practices and policies that foreign governments are imposing on American companies."

Digital services taxes targeting dominant US tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon have long been a peeve of several US administrations. The UK, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, India, Austria and Canada have imposed these taxes on sales of these and other digital service providers within their borders. During Trump's first term, the Trade Representative launched investigations into unfair trade practices against several of these countries, finding that they discriminate against US companies, paving the way for retaliatory tariffs on certain imports.

Trump announced the measure last week, saying he would impose tariffs on goods from Canada and France because of their digital services taxes. According to a White House fact sheet, both countries have collected over $500 million in revenue annually from these taxes, and globally the levies amounted to over $2 billion.

Trump's memorandum also orders an investigation into how US companies are treated under the EU's Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act. (rtr)

Judge continues to prohibit Musk from accessing financial files

A US judge has banned Elon Musk's government cost-cutting team, known as DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), from continuing to access Treasury Department systems. US Federal District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan has thus granted a request by 19 Democratic attorneys general for a temporary injunction on DOGE's access to the systems until the outcome of their lawsuit is available. The states point to the risk that sensitive information could be passed on unlawfully. DOGE has no legal authority to access the systems, it continues. (rtr)

Supreme Court contradicts Trump

In the dispute over the drastic staff and cost cuts in the authorities sought by US President Donald Trump, the country's Supreme Court has ruled against the US government. On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected a request from the Trump administration to force the dismissal of the head of an agency responsible for protecting so-called whistleblowers, Hampton Dellinger. The decision, however, stipulates that the court will consider the case again next week.

The White House fired Dellinger on February 7. However, he filed a lawsuit against his termination, which was subsequently stayed by a federal court. The government then appealed this decision, but failed in a federal appeals court on Saturday. The government then turned to the Supreme Court.

The application to end the suspension of the dismissal will be postponed until the Federal Court's suspension expires on February 26, the court said in its decision on Friday.

It was Trump's first appeal to the Supreme Court since his return to the White House just over a month ago. Since taking office, the US president has signed a number of controversial executive orders.

Trump wants to radically cut the state apparatus and is being supported in this plan by tech multi-billionaire Elon Musk, who heads a newly founded government department for state efficiency (Doge). However, around 40 lawsuits have already been filed against the layoffs and restructuring of federal agencies as well as other projects of the Trump administration. And around a dozen court orders have already been issued to slow down the government.

However, Trump is apparently counting on ultimately winning the legal disputes over his government agenda before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is dominated by conservatives. Three of the conservative judges there were nominated by Trump during his first term in office (2017-21). (afp)

Pentagon lays off thousands of employees

Massive staff cuts in the Pentagon: The US Department of Defense is laying off at least five percent of its civilian employees starting next week. According to a Pentagon statement on Friday, the existing civilian workforce is to be reduced "by five to eight percent." The first layoffs "starting next week" will affect 5,400 employees on probation.

A hiring freeze will then be imposed "while we conduct a further analysis of our personnel needs," said the official in charge, Darin Selnick, in a statement. The planned layoffs are aimed at "achieving efficiency gains and aligning the department with the President's priorities and restoring the armed forces' readiness."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had already made similar comments the day before. In a video message, he said: "We will say goodbye to the 'woke' programs of the Biden era and instead spend the money on President Trump's 'America First' priorities, peace through strength." The planned redistribution of funds is about "reorienting and reinvesting existing resources in building a force that protects you, the American people."

The US Department of Defense is the largest employer in the US, employing more than 900,000 civilians alone. This means that cuts of five percent would affect more than 45,000 jobs in total.

On Thursday, Hegseth also announced that the US government's new efficiency department would be given extensive authority in the Pentagon. The department, called Doge, will work to find "superfluous" spending and locate "the last remnants" of the programs considered a priority by former President Joe Biden. (afp)

US government fires national park employees

For five years, Erikka Olson worked as a seasonal worker in Yosemite National Park in California. In June, she got a permanent job in a national forest in the neighboring state of Nevada - a dream for the 27-year-old. But the clear-cutting by the new US government has now destroyed it: Like thousands of other employees of national parks and state forests, Olsen was laid off.

In the Humboldt-Toiyabe forest, she maintained hiking trails, cleared fallen trees and collected data for visitor statistics. But that is now over: On Saturday, Olsen received an email from her employer informing her of her immediate dismissal - allegedly for poor performance.

A total of around 3,400 employees of the US Forest Service were laid off, according to several US media outlets. According to the National Parks Association (NPCA), the layoffs affect around a thousand employees in their one-year probationary period at the national parks.

The mass layoffs by President Donald Trump's government have now also affected conservationists. At the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), Trump confidant and billionaire Elon Musk has fired thousands of civil servants in recent weeks, causing chaos in the authorities.

Olsen says she hasn't earned much from her work in the forest. But her salary is "a small sum that helps finance what the public sometimes takes for granted: clean toilets, clear paths, nature reserves." Not only has she lost her dream job, says the young woman. "The Americans will lose too."

The country's 63 national parks are very popular. And the protection of these natural areas is one of the few federal government initiatives that has met with unanimous approval in the divided country.

The national parks are “the best idea America has ever had,” says a park ranger at a national park near Washington who lost her job last week.

The layoffs "won't save any money," fears the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous. "Visitors will be shocked and saddened by what they will find this summer: less service, dirty toilets and shorter opening hours."

The park ranger has spent the days since being fired returning work equipment and bringing home personal items. "I'm angry because it's so stupid and doesn't help anyone," she says. "There will be no one to save people if they encounter a bison in Yellowstone National Park."

The toilets would overflow and everything would be full of rubbish, says Emily Douce from the National Park Association about the consequences of the staff shortage that is now occurring. Nathan Vince was the only locksmith in the park until he was fired on Friday a week ago. He was responsible for all the locks and keys in the park. In the event of an emergency, he was the one who gave paramedics and the fire department access.

"They fired key employees without even looking at what I do, who I am or why my position is important," says the 42-year-old. "It's absolutely inefficient and makes no sense."

Aleksander Chmura, who until recently was a caretaker at Yosemite National Park, fears that the parks will be "destroyed and possibly privatized" as a result of the layoffs. "We cannot allow that to happen under any circumstances." Chmura and his colleagues have therefore already filed a lawsuit against the layoffs. (afp)