Trump says Musk is 'not really leaving' as DOGE role ends
Donald Trump and Elon Musk held a final press conference in the Oval Office to mark the official end of Musk’s role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The Department of Energy (DOE) has instructed its employees to label documents related to the agency’s review of grants and contracts under the controversial DOGE initiative with "legal privilege," in a bid to prevent them from being disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
A memo obtained by Axios reveals that the DOE’s acting general counsel, David R. Taggart, issued the directive on March 17, outlining procedures for handling DOGE-related documents.
DOGE, which has been tasked with evaluating the efficiency and alignment of grants and contracts with DOE policies, has provided spreadsheets to DOE officials. These spreadsheets are to help identify which grants and contracts could potentially be flagged for termination or renegotiation.
The memo also directs political appointees within the DOE to assess whether each grant or contract is “efficient” and “consistent with DOE policies and priorities.” Taggart emphasized the importance of brevity and consistency when completing the spreadsheets, citing a "heavy litigation environment" surrounding the DOGE cuts.
The review process appears to cover multiple areas within the DOE, including its national laboratory system, as each laboratory is managed by private companies under contract. The DOE’s standard contracts contain provisions that allow for termination if an award no longer aligns with the department's goals or priorities.
The memo suggests that the process for enacting DOGE cuts may involve minimal scrutiny once the completed spreadsheets leave DOE offices. Officials have been encouraged to be as detailed as possible when filling out the documents to avoid overlooking specific nuances in contracts and grants, which could result in the wrongful termination of efficient agreements.
The move comes amid growing controversy surrounding the DOGE initiative and its potential impact on energy-related research and development funding.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
Peace is no longer a dream. It is a discussion. On the streets of Baku and Yerevan, it is also a question, of trust, of foreign interests, and of who truly wants it.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
The 2025 G7 Leaders’ Summit was held June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, under Canada’s presidency. Prime Minister Mark Carney framed the meeting around priorities of protecting communities, energy and climate security, the digital transition, and future partnerships.
The USS Nimitz is heading to the Middle East amid tensions between Israel and Iran. The U.S. aircraft carrier has a decades-long history in the region, from the 1979 hostage crisis to modern deployments, often serving as a key asset during periods of rising friction with Iran.
Orkhan Nazarli, Head of Azerbaijan’s State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy, held separate meetings with senior tax officials from Latvia and Montenegro during the 29th General Assembly of the Intra-European Organization of Tax Administrations (IOTA) in Baku.
The OIC's 51st ministerial session convenes in Istanbul to tackle pressing global and regional issues.
Japan has reportedly cancelled a planned high-level security meeting with the United States after Washington pressed Tokyo to increase its defense spending, according to the Financial Times.
Israel announced on Saturday that it had killed senior Iranian commander Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestine Corps of Iran’s Quds Force, in a targeted strike in Qom. Izadi was accused of supporting Hamas before its October 2023 attack on Israel.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is accelerating the development and production of interceptor drones to defend against the growing number of Iranian-made Shahed drones used by Russia in recent attacks.
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