Politics

Court considers halting Trump's mass firings of federal employees

A federal judge in San Francisco hears arguments in a case challenging the Trump administration's firings of thousands of probationary employees — those in their first year or so on the job.

Veterans groups raise the alarm about DOGE cuts at the VA

Veterans groups are raising alarm about what they call indiscriminate cuts across the Department of Veterans Affairs.

USAID workers return to HQ to clear their desks, as Trump dismantles the agency

Workers who served in the U.S. Agency for International Development were allowed a final and brief visit back to their offices to clear out their belongings on Thursday.

Trump says new tariffs will cut U.S. drug deaths but fatal overdoses were already plummeting

President Trump cited outdated drug overdose data to justify tariffs against Canada, China, and Mexico. He also offered no evidence Canada is fueling the U.S. drug crisis.

DOGE work could 'cross extreme ethical and legal lines,' says former employee

On Tuesday, 21 DOGE employees resigned. NPR spoke to one of them who says she felt the new administration was causing "harm to the American people." As Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency work to remake the federal government, some of the people tasked with executing his vision have serious concerns about what the changes will do. For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Farmers will be hit hard by the dismantling of USAID

A pause on the release of $2 billion in foreign aid could affect the government's longest-running permanent program for international food assistance -- Food for Peace.

Former DOGE staffer explains her decision to quit

Staffers of the Department of Government Efficiency resigned in protest saying they won't use their skills to dismantle government services. One woman shares the reasons why she took this step.

The governor's honeymoon is over with Democrats

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells NPR: 'Everything feels increasingly like a scam'

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., about how Democrats are addressing President Trump's agenda.