DOGE critics seek docs on use of AI

QUICK FIX
FIRST IN SHIFT: A group that has emerged as one of the biggest thorns in the side of the Trump administration is submitting public records requests today to more than a half-dozen federal agencies seeking information about the use of artificial intelligence to make personnel decisions.
Democracy Forward's target list is unsurprising to anyone who has tracked the start of President Donald Trump's second term. It includes DOGE, USAID, the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration, as well as the Departments of State, Treasury and Defense.
'DOGE and this administration are operating in a shroud of secrecy, and their 'govern by chaos' tactics have only made government less efficient and caused disruptions to our safety and security,' Skye Perryman, the organization's president, said in a statement.
The speed at which the Trump administration is implementing major policies — coupled with the opacity it is affording DOGE even as it makes mistakes and exaggerates purported cost savings — has frustrated members of Congress, flummoxed federal judges, and drawn outrage from good government groups. An environmental organization, the Center for Biological Diversity, filed a FOIA lawsuit last week in a battle over DOGE records, per POLITICO's E&E News.
Democracy Forward said that the inquiry was prompted by the mass messages sent out to federal employees, several of which have been sent from OPM email addresses but appear to have originated with Elon Musk and his DOGE acolytes, and public reporting that the Trump administration may use AI tools such as large language models to sift through them.
Another batch of emails went out over the weekend asking federal workers to provide five bullet points of what they accomplished last week, as our Danny Nguyen and Holly Otterbein report. The first attempt at this was met with contradictory messages from different agency leaders but generated about a million responses, the White House said last Tuesday.
It would be rather inefficient — to put it mildly — to have people in the government parse through that mountain of information, raising suspicions that the format is designed with AI in mind.
'The American people deserve to know what is going on – including if and how artificial intelligence is being used to reshape the departments and agencies people rely on daily,' Perryman said.
GOOD MORNING. It's Monday, March 3. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to nniedzwiadek@politico.com, lukenye@politico.com, rdugyala@politico.com and gmott@politico.com. Follow us on X at @NickNiedz and @Lawrence_Ukenye.
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AROUND THE AGENCIES
OFFICE OF SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: A federal judge ruled Saturday that President Donald Trump's firing of a federal workforce watchdog was illegal — teeing up a Supreme Court showdown over the president's claim to nearly absolute control of the executive branch, our Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson concluded that Hampton Dellinger — confirmed last year as head of the Office of Special Counsel — may continue to serve his five-year term despite Trump's effort to remove him from the post via email last month.
Jackson ruled that Dellinger's duties, which include holding executive branch officials accountable for ethics breaches and fielding whistleblower complaints, were meant to be independent from the president, making the position a rare exception to the president's generally vast domain over the executive branch.
Dellinger's 'independence is inextricably intertwined with the performance of his duties,' Jackson wrote in a 67-page opinion. 'The elimination of the restrictions on plaintiff's removal would be fatal to the defining and essential feature of the Office of Special Counsel as it was conceived by Congress and signed into law by the President: its independence. The Court concludes that they must stand.'
INDIRECT BLOW: Ray Limon, a Democratic appointee on the Merit Systems Protection Board, announced his retirement Friday as his term on the three-person panel expired, the agency announced.
With Limon gone, the board is down to Democratic Chair Cathy Harris and Republican Henry Kerner, though Trump fired Harris in mid-February and designated Kerner chair in her place. A federal judge quickly reinstated Harris on a temporary basis pending further litigation.
MSPB, typically a low-profile agency, hears appeals filed by federal workers challenging adverse employment actions that allegedly violate civil service rules. The board can still rule on cases without a third member, but it opens the door to partisan deadlocks that can leave cases unresolved for extended stretches — a dire prospect for the reams of rank-and-file employees put out of work by the Trump administration seeking to reverse their terminations.
And if Trump succeeds in court to oust Harris, the MSPB would be without a quorum until the White House nominates replacements and the Senate confirms them, stymying things even further.
CHOPS COME TO SSA: The Social Security Administration said Friday it intends to trim more than 10 percent of its headcount by cutting 7,000 employees from its roughly 57,000 workforce.
'The agency plans to reduce the size of its bloated workforce and organizational structure, with a significant focus on functions and employees who do not directly provide mission critical services,' the agency said in a release, adding that '[r]umor of a 50 percent reduction is false.'
It said it would also close six of its 10 regional offices, leaving four.
SSA in recent days has also said it would shutter its Office of Transformation, which is labeled 'wasteful,' and the 'duplicative' Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity. Staffers in both branches were put on administrative leave as a result.
— Related: 'Top Social Security deputies leave amid rumored staff cuts,' from The Government Executive.
More agency news: 'Trump Labor Department appeals ruling that blocked Biden overtime pay rule,' from Reuters.
On the Hill
BURROW CHECK: The head of the House Oversight Committee on Friday opened a probe into dozens of federal agencies to examine hirings that occurred late in the Biden administration, our Hailey Fuchs reports.
Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) sent letters to 24 departments and other agencies seeking details about all new employees who began between the start of 2024 and Jan. 20 of this year, when President Donald Trump was sworn in, as well as the names of all political appointees during the Biden administration who have remained in the executive branch.
'We are concerned about job postings and hiring surges not based on actual agency mission needs, but based on political goals, including a desire to 'Trump-proof' agency staffs by placing personnel opposed to President Donald Trump's agenda,' Comer wrote in separate letters to current leadership at the various executive branches.
Unions
The Office of Personnel Management last week instructed agencies to detail the amount of time that shop stewards or others employed by the federal government spent on union-related activities.
OPM's memo told agencies to respond by March 14 with the amount of on-the-clock time that was utilized for things like contract negotiation or grievance disputes, as well as other expenses like the use of government office space and information on what jobs within the government that union officials hold and their compensation.
The memo issued Thursday goes on to tell agencies to follow up by the start of April with a deeper accounting for the 2024 fiscal year that ran through Sept. 30.
Republicans have long looked at ways to reel in federal workers' organizing rights and criticized allowing union officials to tend to labor activities during government business hours as wasteful.
More union news: 'Teacher union head taking fight to Elon Musk through Tesla stock,' from The Hill.
In the Workplace
SPIES LIKE US: The Trump administration's buzzsaw to the federal workforce is creating a cohort of disgruntled former employees that countries like Russia and China are seeking to exploit for their own ends, CNN reports.
'At least two countries have already set up recruitment websites and begun aggressively targeting federal employees on LinkedIn, two of the sources said. …
A document produced by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said the intelligence community assessed with 'high confidence' that foreign adversaries were trying to recruit federal employees and 'capitalize' on the Trump administration's plans for mass layoffs, according to a partly redacted copy reviewed by CNN.'
More workplace news: 'Goldman Sachs Removes Diversity Goals After Trump DEI Order,' from Bloomberg.
Even more: 'Partnership for Public Service lays off dozens of staff,' from The Government Executive.
IMMIGRATION
COMING CIRCUS: The Democratic mayors of New York City, Boston, Chicago and Denver are set to testify Wednesday before the House about their 'sanctuary city' policies that limit their engagement with federal immigration enforcement authorities, our Hailey Fuchs, Shia Kapos, EMily Ngo and Kelly Garrity report.
Comer, the Oversight chair, last week sat down to discuss immigration policy with Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and the architect of some of Trump's most aggressive efforts to curb illegal immigration, according to a person granted anonymity to describe a private meeting.
Part of the goal is to emulate the dramatic moments from last year's college antisemitism hearings, which contributed to the ouster of multiple Ivy League presidents.
More immigration news: 'Canada Curbed Illegal Migration to the U.S. Now People Are Heading to Canada,' from The New York Times.
WHAT WE'RE READING
— 'General Services Administration cuts tech unit,' from our Danny Nguyen.
— 'In the federal court system, law clerks find little recourse for bullying and abuse,' from NPR.
— 'Sean Penn Eyes Trump's Government Overhaul to Escape Labor Case,' from Bloomberg Law.
— 'Trump's media company defends its 'diversity and inclusion' policies as his administration dismantles DEI,' from CNN.
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Live updates: Iran calls US airstrikes on nuclear sites 'outrageous,' says it 'reserves all options'

America's move comes after Iran and Israel have been engaged in aerial strikes and Trump had been pondering US involvement for the past week. The United States joined Israel's war with Iran after President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on three nuclear targets, winning praise and condemnation from members of Congress and new defiance from Tehran. "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," Trump said in a live address after 10 p.m. ET on June 21, threatening further U.S. strikes if Iran failed to accept a diplomatic solution. Bombs and missiles launched from U.S. warplanes hit nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. No U.S. personnel were injured in the operation, which struck Iran well after midnight on June 22 local time. With 40,000 troops in the Persian Gulf region, the United States faces potential Iranian reprisals in the days ahead. Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, warned that the country "reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people," saying America's strike was "outrageous and will have everlasting consequences." "Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior," he said on social media. Trump's move was assailed by some conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats in Congress as illegal, while others praised the move after more than a week of Israeli airstrikes on Iran and retaliatory missile fire wreaking havoc in Israel. 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,' Trump said. More: U.S. hits Iran nuclear facilities, braces for counterattack Israel says Iran launched another round of missiles Multiple explosions were heard in central Israel, including over Tel Aviv, in the early hours of June 22. Israel's military said sirens that sounded across the region were "due to another Iranian missile launch." USA TODAY could not immediately confirm any information on potential fatalities or injuries in the strikes. Iran says it 'reserves all options' to defend itself Iran reserves all options to defend itself after U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities, Araqchi shared on X, saying the attacks were "outrageous and will have everlasting consequences." "Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior," he said. What's the risk of nuclear fallout from the Iran attacks? The U.S. attacks against three of Iran's nuclear facilities, following Israeli attacks over the previous week, prompted questions about the potential risks of radiological or chemical releases. Both "The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" and the International Atomic Energy Agency have previously stated the offsite risks are low from attacks at Fordow and Natanz. But in a June 20 post, François Diaz-Maurin, an associate editor for nuclear affairs at the atomic bulletin, termed the offsite risk at Isfahan 'moderate,' because it's one of the 'most important sites for Iran's nuclear program.' The International Atomic Energy Agency began posting updates on the new attacks on June 21. The nuclear complex in Isfahan, a key site of the Iranian nuclear program, has repeatedly been attacked and extensively damaged before June 21, said Rafael Mariano Grossi, agency director. 'Based on our analysis of the nuclear material present, we don't see any risk of off-site contamination," Grossi said. -Dinah Pulver Attack used bunker-buster bombs The Pentagon's attack on Iran's nuclear facility employed its most powerful bunker-buster bomb as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from submarines, according to a U.S. official. Pentagon planners coordinated the attack with Israel to enter Iran's airspace, said the official who had been briefed on the mission but was not authorized to speak publicly. B-2 bombers dropped GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs, the first time they have been used in combat. The stealth bombers were accompanied by other aircraft, the official said, though it was unclear the type of warplane. The Pentagon's most sophisticated fighter, the F-22, was a likely candidate. President Donald Trump declared the attack a success, saying Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities had been completely 'obliterated.' The official, however, said battle-damage assessments had not reached a firm conclusion. −Tom Vanden Brook AOC condemns Trump's attacks, calling it a constitutional violation Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is the latest lawmaker to take to social media in the hours after President Donald Trump's strikes on Iran to weigh in on the move, calling it 'grounds for impeachment.' 'The President's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,' she said in the post on X, formerly Twitter, published shortly after Trump's White House address. Congress is the only branch of government that has the power to declare war, however, presidents have engaged in foreign conflicts in recent decades under the executive authority to authorize defensive strikes 'He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations,' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.' −Kathryn Palmer Will Iran counterattack? Tehran could respond to Trump's strikes by launching counterattacks on U.S. military bases in the Middle East, current and former U.S. officials say. American bases in Gulf countries and Iraq and Syria could become targets, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro told USA TODAY before Trump attacked Iran. Iran could also target regional energy facilities and block oil and gas shipments from crossing the Strait of Hormuz, said Shapiro, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East in the Biden administration. Roughly 40,000 American troops are stationed in the region. Trump warned in a Truth Social post of 'far greater' force against Iran if it pursues retaliation. −Francesca Chambers Muslim civil rights group condemns U.S. strikes on Iran The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, blasted President Trump's attack as an 'illegal and unjustified act of war' that favors the wishes of Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu over the American people and threatens to drag the United States into a wider conflict. 'We condemn President Trump's illegal and unjustified act of war against Iran,' CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement. 'This attack, carried out under pressure from the out-of-control Israeli government, took place despite the longstanding conclusion by our nation's intelligence community that Iran was not seeking nuclear weapons.' 'Just as President Bush started a disastrous war in Iraq pushed by war hawks, neoconservatives, and Israeli leaders like Netanyahu, President Trump has attacked Iran based on the same type of false information put forward by those who consistently seek to drag our nation into unnecessary and catastrophic wars,' Awad said. -Josh Meyer Pete Hegseth to hold a press conference from the Pentagon Hours after the U.S. military launched strikes against three nuclear sites in Iran, President Trump addressed the nation from the White House calling the operation a 'spectacular military success.' He said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will hold a press conference at 8 am on July 22 at the Pentagon. Trump said the mission's objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the 'world's number one state sponsor of terror.' 'If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill,' said Trump. 'Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.' -Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy Iranian retaliation could happen anywhere, ex-official says Terror alert levels should be elevated in the near term, even in major cities outside the Middle East and anywhere Iran may have sleeper cells, said Andrew Borene, a former senior official at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Counterterrorism Center. 'What happens next is largely going to be driven by Tehran's next moves. Their shadow wars have never been confined to missiles, drones, and cyber attacks,' said Borene, who is now executive director for Global Security at private intelligence firm Flashpoint. Borene said in an analysis that there is 'a real risk of further spillover if Iran resorts to its historical use of asymmetric means through proxy terrorism.' Offensive cyber operations on critical infrastructure, or terrorist attacks by Iranian proxies, also could rapidly derail hope for de-escalation and diplomacy in the near term, Borene said. -Josh Meyer Peace or tragedy, Trump tells Iran 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,' Trump said. He noted that there are many other targets in Iran. 'If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill. Most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes,' he said. -Sarah Wire Trump says 'future attacks' could be worse 'Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,' Trump said in his address to the nation. 'If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.' He then described tactics of the regime. 'For 40 years, Iran has been saying, 'Death to America,' 'Death to Israel,'' he said. 'They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs. That was their specialty.' The president appeared to be referring to attacks launched by Iran-backed militants in the years after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. -Erin Mansfield Netanyahu congratulates Trump on Iran bombing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Trump for bombing three Iran nuclear sites, saying the decision could lead the Middle East toward a future of 'prosperity and peace.' 'America has been truly unsurpassed,' Netanyahu said in a video statement. 'It has done what no other country on earth could do. History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime the world's most dangerous weapons.' -Erin Mansfield What is Fordow? Fordow is an Iranian underground uranium enrichment facility located about 80 to 90 meters deep inside a mountain, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. More: US bombs Iran: What to know about possible weapon, the 'bunker buster' It is located 20 miles north of the Iranian city of Qom. Fordow was one of three nuclear sites, including Natanz and Isfahan, that were struck by US military operations on July 21 to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. "A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow," Trump wrote on Truth Social. -Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy Bomb-carrying B-2 stealth fleet launched from Missouri base B-2 bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri in the early morning hours of June 21. The warplanes are known not only for their stealth technology, but also for their ability to fly long-range and carry the big 'bunker buster' bombs used in the June 21 mission. With design and materials that limit its ability to be detected by enemy radar, the B-2 is thought to be the only aircraft equipped to carry the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or GBU-57, known as the "bunker buster." The entire fleet of B-2 stealth bombers is based at Whiteman, southeast of Kansas City, with the 509th Bomb Wing, part of the Air Force Global Strike Command. Fox News reported six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Iran's Fordow nuclear site. -Dinah Pulver Democrats in Congress erupt at Trump Democratic members of Congress expressed outrage over the strikes, which they said they learned about from social media. 'According to the Constitution we are both sworn to defend, my attention to this matter comes BEFORE bombs fall. Full stop,' said Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, in a post on X. Virginia Rep. Eugene Vindman said Trump's handling of the situation was 'disgraceful." He asserted in a post that the U.S. was now at war with Iran. 'And so the United States goes to war with Iran without so much as a by your leave to the American people,' he said. 'No statement, other than on social media; no notice to Congress; no serious deliberation.' He added: 'This is the stuff of autocrats. Disgraceful.' War is something only Congress can formally declare. Lawmakers have also passed resolutions that authorized the use of military force like when the U.S. invaded Iraq. Trump has not said whether he plans to continue the bombing campaign, which he described as a "military operation" in a post on the attack. At least one Democrat came to Trump's defense, however: Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. "As I've long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS. Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. I'm grateful for and salute the finest military in the world," Fetterman said. Democratic Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that was critical of Trump that Congress should "fully and immediately" be briefed in a classified setting. – Francesca Chambers Can the president bomb a country without Congress? The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war. The president is the commander in chief of the military, which means he carries out wars that Congress approves. However, presidents of both political parties have perennially used the U.S. military to bomb or invade countries without formal approval from Congress. There have even been allegations that the Korean War and the Vietnam War were illegal. Congress attempted to limit presidents from using this type of power when it passed the 1973 War Powers Act. Trump was most recently criticized for potentially violating the War Powers Act when he bombed the Houthis in Yemen, notoriously discussed on the SignalGate chat that embarrassed top officials in his administration. -Erin Mansfield B-2 bombers conducted strikes on Iranian targets B-2 bombers conducted a series of strikes on targets in Iran, according to a senior Defense Department official. There were no casualties. Measures to protect the nearly 40,000 U.S. troops in the region have been incrementally increased over the last two weeks, said the official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The Army has been at third of four levels of alert at most places in the region, the official said. -Tom Vanden Brook More: U.S. hits Iran nuclear facilities, braces for counterattack Trump to address nation at 10 pm ET President Trump posted on Truth Social that he will be speaking to the nation at 10 p.m. ET on June 21. "I will be giving an Address to the Nation at 10:00 P.M., at the White House, regarding our very successful military operation in Iran," Trump wrote. "This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!" -Swapna Venugopal Republican lawmaker says Iran strike is 'not constitutional' Trump's decision came under immediate criticism from at least one Republican in Congress: Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie. The lawmaker shared Trump's post on social media with the message, 'This is not Constitutional.' Massie had previously introduced a bill to prevent Trump from going to war with Iran without congressional authorization, which drew cosponsors that included progressive Democrats such as Rep. Ro Khanna of California. The GOP lawmaker was one of two members of Trump's political party who voted against his tax bill in the House of Representatives last month. Trump called him a 'grandstander' ahead of the vote and said he should be 'voted out of office.' Far-right GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ally of Trump's, publicly pushed for the U.S. to stay out of the war, a half hour before Trump announced the attack. 'Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war,' she said in a post on X. Greene has been one of the most outspoken opponent's within MAGA of American military involvement in the conflict that exploded on June 13 when Israel attacked Iranian nuclear sites. 'There would not be bombs falling on the people of Israel if Netanyahu had not dropped bombs on the people of Iran first,' she said on June 21. 'Israel is a nuclear armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.' –Francesca Chambers State Department evacuations from Israel Earlier in the day, the State Department began evacuating American citizens and permanent residents from Israel and the West Bank, U.S Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced on social media. 'The Department of State has begun assisted departure flights from Israel,' Huckabee wrote in a post on X on June 21 asking people seeking government assistance to fill out a form. -Swapna Venugopal How the war started The strikes followed days of Israeli bomb and drone strikes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at disrupting Iran's quest for a nuclear weapon, to which Iran responded by launching missiles at Israeli civilian targets. Netanyahu had been pressing President Donald Trump to enter the war, knowing the Pentagon possesses the ability to destroy Iran's nuclear enrichment capability. In his first term, Trump pulled out of the Iran deal brokered by President Barack Obama in 2015, saying it did not do enough to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. As the war between Iran and Israel has spiraled in recent days, he has repeated that Iran "cannot" get a nuclear weapon. Iran has threatened that the U.S. would suffer "irreparable damage" if it becomes directly involved in the conflict. The U.S. "should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage," Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on June 18. Only US warheads could penetrate Iranian nuclear site The U.S. Air Force has the unique capability to destroy deeply buried, fortified structures like those that house Iran's nuclear facilities. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or GBU-57, has a 'high-performance steel alloy' warhead case that allows the weapon to stay intact as it burrows deep into the ground, according to Pentagon documents. In 2012, the Air Force conducted five tests of the weapon at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Data and visual inspections showed that each bombing run 'effectively prosecuted the targets.' More: Israel wants to demolish Iran's nuclear facilities. Does it need US military help? There's only one warplane in the Air Force that can carry the bomb. Each B-2 Spirit stealth bomber based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri can hold two of the penetrators. Israel had sought the Pentagon to drop the bombs because their penetrating weapons cannot reach the depth necessary to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. -Tom Vanden Brook

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What can Northamptonshire expect from Doge?

They have caused a stir in Donald Trump's US and now Elon Musk-style Doge teams are descending on Northamptonshire's two unitary councils, which are run by Reform UK. What can people in the county expect from them and what have they achieved elsewhere? Hardly anyone had heard the acronym Doge before Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025. The idea is reported to have surfaced first at a dinner party where Donald Trump's billionaire advisor, Elon Musk, was speaking in 2023. The Tesla, Space X and X businessman told fellow diners that, if given the passwords to government computers, he could streamline its operations. When Trump became President again this year, he set up the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) and put Musk in charge of it. Its aim was to end the "tyranny of bureaucracy", save taxpayers' money and cut the US national debt, said Musk. What has actually happened so far is two million federal workers being offered a deal to leave. A preliminary meeting with the Doge team happened this week at West Northamptonshire Council, and it will be descending on North Northamptonshire in the near future following the huge swing from the Conservatives to Reform UK in the May local elections. The Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, who received a hero's welcome when he met his councillors in Corby on Tuesday, explained how it would work. "The Doge team comes in and it talks to the officers and says 'we want to look at the books, we want to see what money's been spent on this, what money's been spent on that, we want to see the credit card statements, we want to see the contracts'," he said. He took repairing potholes as an example and said Doge would ask "Who've you assigned to do this job? How long is the contract for? What's the cost? Is it based on results?" He insisted that "not everything about Doge is critical, not everything about Doge is slagging off what's gone before. I'm really hoping that Doge can help everybody". Reform UK said its team in West Northamptonshire would consist of "software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors". The short answer, according to Reform UK, is nothing. Mark Arnull, leader at West Northamptonshire, said: "The cutting-edge expertise the Doge team are providing free of charge will make it that much easier to identify waste and free up funds." Martin Griffiths, who leads West Northamptonshire, said: "We're not going to pay a penny [for the Doge review] so that's why our officers are fully in support of this." Some politicians have questioned whether experts would really work for free, and have suggested the pro bono element might not be good for local people. Rich Lehmann, Green party leader in Kent, the first council to undergo the process, said: "The fact that they have software engineers offering to work 'for free' is of particular concern, given that the data they are forcefully requesting access to would include significant volumes of commercially sensitive information and the personal data of many of Kent's most vulnerable residents." The leader of the Labour group on West Northamptonshire Council, Sally Keeble is concerned about the team's accountability and use of data. She has submitted a Freedom of Information request for all communication between the council and the team to be disclosed. She said: "If the Reform administration wants to appoint Doge, they should put the organisation through a transparent procurement process with safeguards in place for people's personal data." Helen Harrison, who leads the Conservative opposition in North Northamptonshire, has said she would welcome any efficiencies but believed the review should be carried out by council officers rather than an external team. Jonathan Harris, who leads the Liberal Democrat group in the North, said: "We understand that during the visit on Friday, 13 June the Doge team asked for no information, were provided with no information, didn't share a plan, and yet proclaimed that they were already 'starting to save taxpayers money'." Harris added: "It begs the question why taxpayers are paying cabinet member allowances, including basic councillor allowances of around £424,000 to the [Reform UK] administration. "It's their job to lead, set strategy and establish savings, not the responsibility of an unelected group of individuals." West Northamptonshire's Independent councillor Ian McCord said he had written to the council leader to ask whether advice had been sought about the legal standing of the Doge unit, and whether data held by the council would be safe. NIgel Farage is adamant that the Doge approach is working. He said: "Already, in other counties, we have found examples of pretty egregious expenditure." In Derby, where there is a cabinet member for council efficiency (Doge), the party claimed to have made efficiency savings equating to £6,000 per day. It later admitted that figure was a mistake and was more like £4,000 per day. An unlikely winner so far from the Doge initiative has been the public sector workers' union Unison. According to data released to Sky News, weekly new memberships increased by an average of 272% in the week after the May election results were announced. From a weekly average of 12 new members at North Northamptonshire the union saw the figure shoot up to 27 in the week following the election. Farage has admitted that efficiencies may be more difficult to find in Northamptonshire's two unitary councils, which came into being in 2021, than in some older authorities. Other politicians have pointed out that councils already face regular audits so Doge teams would simply duplicate that process. On the available evidence, though, two things look certain: Northamptonshire will go through the Doge process, and it will still be controversial. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Musk-style Doge team starts work at council Put solar on roofs not farms, says Reform leader Reform UK to give council Musk-style audit West Northamptonshire Council North Northamptonshire Council

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Iran-Israel Conflict: How The UK Could Become A 'Target' If It Helps America Join The War

While domestic politics continues to flummox Keir Starmer, he has, so far, excelled on the world stage. He has emerged as a figurehead in Europe in the fight against Vladimir Putin and made sure the UK was the first country to strike a trade deal with the US after Donald Trump unveiled his chaotic tariffs. But Starmer is now facing his greatest test as an international leader: trying not to get pulled into a febrile war in the Middle East. When Israel struck Iran last week, supposedly over fears it was building nuclear warheads, Tehran was quick to retaliate. The US, Israel's strongest ally, initially seemed to favour de-escalation but Trump soon ramped up his rhetoric. He called for Iran's 'unconditional surrender' and claimed the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 'an easy target' should the US decide to kill him. Asked if he was going to join in with the strikes, Trump said: 'I may do it. I may not do it. Nobody knows what I'm going to do. I can tell you this: Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.' 'I may do it, I may not do it, nobody knows what I'm going to do'Donald Trump is asked if the US will strike Iranian nuclear facilities The President adds: 'Iran has got a lot of trouble' — Sky News (@SkyNews) June 18, 2025 The US president has now announced that he will make a decision on attacking Iran within the next fortnight, giving the world some much needed breathing space. But the clock is still ticking and it's unclear exactly where the UK stands amid Trump's indecision. Starmer has repeatedly called for de-escalation, urging Trump not to 'ramp up' the situation by taking military action. But there are fears that Britain could still be pulled into the war, even if not directly. The UK will likely offer defensive, intelligence and logistical support for Israel's self-defence than military engagement against Iranian targets. Britain also shares a military base with the US in the Chagos Islands. The States would have to get the UK's permissions to deploy jets from the shared facility in order to strike Iran. Either way, joining Israel's fight could have grave consequences, according to experts. A senior research fellow at RUSI on the Middle East and North Africa Security told HuffPost UK that an escalation would 'undoubtedly' endanger international security. Dr Burcu Ozcelik explained that any western state that 'actively engages' in operations against Iran 'could become a target by Iran-linked violent extremist groups'. Iran has set up militant proxies around the Middle East, including the Gaza-based Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, although most of these groups have been suppressed by Israel and the US. Still, Ozcelik warned: 'There are open-ended, potentially protracted, high-severity risks on the horizon as terrorist or violent organisations may seek to retaliate against what they perceive as western complicity in Israel's Operation Rising Lion. 'This is part of the worst case scenario planning that will weigh heavily on US, UK, and European governments.' Attacking Iran could result in 'kidnappings, targeted sabotage, or attacks against national assets and diplomatic missions abroad,' according to the academic. She added: 'The risk of attacks against western diplomatic, military and commercial interests located in the Middle East, scattered across the Gulf, for example, is a risk, as is Iranian threats to shut the Stait of Hormuz. 'Even disruption of the Strait, short of full shutdown, which counters Iran's own interests, will impact oil prices.' The Strait of Hormuz is the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to open water and a quarter of the world's oil trade goes through it. Wael Sawan, the boss of the oil film Shell, warned on Thursday further escalation will cause 'a huge impact on global trade'. According to Sky News, the repercussions from supporting the US are not the only concerns the UK government might have right now. The attorney general Richard Hermer 'has questions' over the very legality of Israel's strikes on Iran, according to reports. As Lord Robertson, former secretary general of NATO, told Chatham House this week: 'All of these bits are on the chessboard and nobody knows really what is going to happen.' Pointing to the confusion around Trump's decision, he continued: 'It would appear at the moment that he's involved in a deadly game of brinkmanship, using the same skills that he had as a property developer. 'But this is not a plan for a condominium in New York, this is the future stability of the world.' And according to Ozelik, Starmer does not even control any major parts on the chessboard. She warned that while the prime minister may continue to call for de-escalation, 'it is highly doubtful that the EU or the UK has the leverage to influence Trump's decision making on Iran.' So Downing Street will be hoping that Trump will somehow be able to remove himself, and therefore the UK, from the chaos – otherwise the president risks getting the whole of the west into what he would describe as 'a lot of trouble'. As Trump Weighs Up Joining Israel's War Against Iran, Here's A Reminder How We Got Here Putin's Ability To Attack Ukraine Damaged By Iran's War With Israel, UK Says Keir Starmer Urges Donald Trump Not To Bomb Iran