Trump heads to Daytona 500 as gutting of federal agencies continues: Live updates

Donald Trump will attend the world famous Daytona 500 race in Florida as the 2025 NASCAR season begins.

According to the White House the president will arrive at the Daytona International Speedway just before the green flag at 1.10 p.m., before heading back to Mar-a-Lago two hours later.

Donald Trump appeared to quote Napoleon Bonaparte by way of Rod Steiger on Saturday afternoon after his blitzkrieg of executive actions and threats to federal agencies under Elon Musk were challenged in courts across the country, raising alarms that his administration is preparing to shred court orders and ignite a constitutional crisis.

“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” the president wrote on Truth Social and X.

Alex Woodward has the full story:

“Five months ago, I welcomed a new baby into the world. Elon Musk is the father,” she wrote. “I have not previously disclosed this to protect our child’s privacy and safety, but in recent days it has become clear that tabloid media intends to do so, regardless of the harm it will cause.”

St. Clair did not detail which media organization was seeking information about her and her child. News organizations typically will request comment from subjects prior to a story’s publication, which may explain how St. Clair learned that a story about her alleged child with the world’s wealthiest man was in the works.

“I intend to allow our child to grow in a normal and safe environment. For that reason, I ask that the media honor our child’s privacy, and refrain from invasive reporting,” St. Clair added.

St. Clair has not provided evidence that the child she shares with Musk exists. The Independent has requested comment from Musk.

Brian Glicklich, St. Clair’s representative, shared a statement on Saturday night in a post on X that claimed his client and Musk “have been privately working towards the creation of an agreement about raising their child for some time.”

Trump administration aides are due to meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia next week to begin discussions to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, according to reports.

Three top foreign policy aides will travel to Riyadh next week following President Donald Trump’s conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, according to the New York Times.

Secretary of state Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are the three Trump officials who will attend, according to the Times, citing a person familiar with the plans.

But when asked whether Ukrainian officials would be present, the source did not say, “a sign” that the nation would probably not take part in next week’s talks, according to the Times.

Trump previously said that Ukraine would be part of the discussions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine must be involved in the talks about its fate.

European allies are meanwhile set to attend a crisis summit after the U.S. effectively barred them from peace talks with the Russian leader.

Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine revealed that Europe would be consulted but ultimately excluded from the peace talks.

Asked if they would be present, Keith Kellogg said he was from “the school of realism, and that is not going to happen.”

The Trump administration has axed 405 staffers at the Department of Homeland Security as it continues to ruthlessly gut the federal government.

Most of the cuts were made at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which Trump and Elon Musk have both railed against, resulting in 200 people losing their jobs.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency cut 130 jobs, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services made cuts of 50, and the DHS Science and Technology Directorate lost 10.

A DHS spokesperson told The Hill that the cuts were made “to eliminate egregious waste and incompetence that has been happening for decades at the expense of the American taxpayer.”

Deputies in San Francisco are looking for three men claiming to be from DOGE who walked into the city’s government center and demanded municipal records.

The city employees refused to help them and called law enforcement. The three men fled the scene before the sheriff’s deputies arrived.

As well as the president’s online soapbox, TMTG, whose mission is “to end Big Tech’s assault on free speech,” also owns streaming platform Truth+ and plans to launch Truth.Fi, “a financial services and FinTech brand incorporating America First investment vehicles.”

Fans in Montreal loudly booed the U.S. national anthem prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off game between the Americans and host Canada on Saturday night.

It’s the second time “The Star-Spangled Banner” drew that reaction in two games the United States has played at the NHL-run international tournament.

And it came after public address announcer Michel Lacroix asked the crowd, in French and English, “In the spirit of this great game that unites everyone that you kindly respect the anthems and the players that represent each country.”

Quebec Vasquez came to America when she was a kid. She built a life here and had a family.

Now, in response to the climate of fear caused by Donald Trump’s mass deportations, she has decided to return to the country of her birth, Richard Hall writes…

Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s plan to slash thousands of jobs across agencies is already leaving large holes in the government, and may soon begin affecting everyday Americans,

Thousands of workers have been laid off from the Education Department, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Veterans Affairs and multiple others.

At the U.S. Forest Service, where some 3,400 workers are slated to be cut, wildfire prevention will be curtailed even in the aftermath of devastating LA wildfires.

At Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of the agency’s 2,800 probationary employees were cut while about 400 employees appear to have taken Trump’s “buy-out” offer.