Latest U.S. National Security Council News
Firings, freezes and layoffs: A look at Trump's moves against federal employees and programs
CHAPIN, S.C. (AP) — Changeover among federal government agencies is normal when a new administration comes to Washington, with presidents regularly dismissing appointees selected by predecessors from opposing political parties. But President Donald Trump has implemented sweeping changes in the...
Antony Blinken has a deal for a book about his years as Joe Biden's secretary of state
NEW YORK (AP) — Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken has a book deal, billed by his publisher as a “rare glimpse” into the “challenging and often controversial” responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war in Gaza and other crises that broke out during his four years at the...
Loyalty tests and MAGA checks: Inside the Trump White House's intense screening of job-seekers
WASHINGTON (AP) — Job-seekers hoping to join the new Trump administration are facing a series of intense loyalty tests, with White House screening teams fanning out to government agencies to check for “Make America Great Again” bona fides and carefully parsing applicants' politics and social...
Trump says he may withhold federal aid for Los Angeles if California doesn't change water policies
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal disaster aid for wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles unless California leaders change the state's approach on its management of water. In a Fox News Channel interview on Wednesday, Trump repeated false claims that the...
Everything Trump did in the first executive orders and actions of his presidency
President Donald Trump started his second administration with a blitz of policy actions to reorient the U.S. government. His executive orders cover issues that range from trade, immigration and U.S. foreign aid to demographic diversity, civil rights and the hiring of federal workers....
160 national security staffers are sent home as the White House aligns its team to Trump’s agenda
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s national security adviser on Wednesday sidelined about 160 National Security Council aides, sending them home while the administration reviews staffing and tries to align it with Trump’s agenda. The career government employees,...
China and US partners are moving closer as Trump returns to the White House
BEIJING (AP) — China's relations are starting to improve with Japan, India and other countries that former U.S. President Joe Biden courted, just as Donald Trump brings his more unilateralist approach back to the White House. The change of leadership in Washington on Monday could...
Japan and Philippines plan to convey to Trump the need for US engagement in Asia
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Japan and the Philippines will convey to President-elect Donald Trump the urgent need for the U.S. to remain committed to help uphold the rule of law in an Asian region where security concerns have become “increasingly severe,” Japan’s top diplomat said Wednesday....
Biden health officials say they built up US pandemic defenses. Trump promises changes
NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration on Tuesday released a “roadmap” for maintaining government defenses against infectious diseases, just as President-elect Donald Trump pledges to dismantle some of them. The 16-page report recaps steps taken in the last four years against...
Trump team is questioning civil servants at National Security Council about commitment to his agenda
WASHINGTON (AP) — Incoming senior Trump administration officials have begun questioning career civil servants who work on the White House National Security Council about who they voted for in the 2024 election, their political contributions and whether they have made social media posts that could...
