White House says some employees were fired by mistake

After taking the recent buyout offer, some employees were fired, a source said.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Emily Chang, Kevin Shalvey, Meredith Deliso, Julia Reinstein, Ivan Pereira, and Jon Haworth
Last Updated: February 16, 2025, 11:07 PM EST

President Donald Trump's administration, including Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, is continuing its sweeping effort to cut much of the federal government -- but it's being met with legal challenges.

Trump is also making his second administration's first forays on the diplomatic front with calls to Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy on ending the 3-year-old war that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.

And a day after Hamas released more hostages taken when it attacked Israel in October 2023, Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the militant organization needs to be "eliminated."

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Feb 14, 2025, 4:20 PM EST

Judge continues to block DOGE from Treasury Dept. payment systems

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas will continue to block individuals associated with DOGE from accessing sensitive Treasury Department records and payment systems.

Vargas did not rule on whether to issue a preliminary injunction yet but opted to extend her temporary restraining order from last week. She suggested her decision would come down over the next few days.

Elon Musk, Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump have pointed to court action blocking DOGE from the systems in their broad attacks on the judiciary in recent days.

PHOTO: Elon Musk listens to President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 11, 2025.
Elon Musk listens to President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 11, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous

Feb 14, 2025, 4:08 PM EST

Trump deflects when asked who he blames for Russia-Ukraine war

As his administration begins negotiations to end the conflict, which began in February 2022 with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter who he blamed for the war.

"I think that there were a lot of people to blame," Trump said. "All I can say is, very simply, if I were president, that war would never have happened."

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he signs an executive order, in the Oval Office, at the White House in Washington, Feb. 14, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters

Trump on Thursday suggested Ukraine's NATO aspirations were a factor in Russia's decision to invade.

Feb 14, 2025, 2:46 PM EST

Trump, in largely symbolic move, to prohibit federal funding to schools with COVID vaccine mandates

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order that will strip schools of federal aid if they mandate COVID vaccines -- a largely symbolic move considering that no states currently require them.

The order applies to students and not to teachers or staff. In a fact sheet provided to reporters, the White House said the order was necessary because COVID vaccine mandates were "threatening educational opportunities for students."

Trump's directive also calls on newly-confirmed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the incoming education secretary to "provide a plan to end coercive COVID-19 vaccine mandates" and report back on the compliance of schools.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Feb. 13, 2025.
Francis Chung/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty and Kelsey Walsh

Feb 14, 2025, 2:45 PM EST

Judge sets 4 pm hearing on Elon Musk's authority to run DOGE

U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan has scheduled a 4 p.m. initial hearing on Elon Musk's authority to run the Department of Government Efficiency.

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP

Fourteen states are challenging Musk's role overseeing DOGE and accusing him of being a "designated agent of chaos" whose "sweeping authority" is in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Musk has defended his position by describing his role as the country's "volunteer tech support guy."

Read more about the lawsuit here.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders

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