Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland vandalized over his Gaza ‘ethnic cleansing’ threat: Live updates

The head of a key U.S. Justice Department task force that combats drugs and organized crime was fired on Friday, amid a move by President Donald Trump’s administration to purge or sideline career officials.

Adam Cohen, who was director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, in a social media post said he had been fired by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former criminal defense attorney who was confirmed to the department’s No. 2 role by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.

Cohen’s firing came just 18 hours after Blanche released a memo that Cohen had helped him draft which announced that the task force he led would be playing a new leading role in combating illegal immigration, as part of an initiative dubbed “Operation Take Back America.”

“It was a shock,” Cohen wrote of his firing on LinkedIn, noting he had been meeting regularly with leadership to discuss violent crime initiatives.

“Putting bad guys in jail was as apolitical as it gets,” he wrote. “My personal politics were never relevant. Not until yesterday.”

Cohen’s firing is one of the latest examples of the Trump administration removing or sidelining career Justice Department officials, who typically keep their positions across presidential administrations.

Kelly Rissman reports on what happened next.

Donald Trump has responded to reports that his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and his so-called head of DOGE, Elon Musk, clashed at a recent cabinet meeting.

The president posted on Truth Social on Saturday:

ELON AND MARCO HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP. ANY STATEMENT OTHER THAN THAT IS FAKE NEWS!!! DJT

Here’s what he’s referring to:

The former Fox News star insisted that the reason behind his support of Putin is that Russia is “thriving” under its president’s leadership, claiming that Putin is trying to “make it better” for his nation.

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have both repeatedly blamed lower-than-expected Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests on alleged leaks to the press that have revealed which cities federal law enforcement officials were targeting.

The Washington Post reports that the Department of Justice has removed top national security officials as part of a widespread purge of senior career leaders across the law enforcement agency. The paper cited people familiar with the decisions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.

The transfer of at least three national security officials represents a total overhaul of leadership in the highly sensitive National Security Division, which is responsible for collaborating with the FBI and other intelligence agencies to protect the nation from threats.

It is unclear whether the national security officials were given a reason for their removals. They were not technically fired, as at least some of them were transferred to other areas of the Justice Department in less desirable positions, according to sources familiar with the transfers, the Post reports. They can now decide whether to accept those new assignments or resign.

The removals—following the ousting of several senior Justice officials on Friday—highlight the Trump administration’s effort to eliminate experienced career officials from nonpartisan roles at the Justice Department.

This likely paves the way for President Donald Trump and his allies to appoint individuals in these traditionally nonpartisan positions who share the president’s ideological views.

Trump and his allies have consistently criticized the Justice Department for allegedly weaponizing the law enforcement agency against him, and the administration has aimed to purge career officials who might undermine the president’s agenda.

Less than two months after returning to the White House, Donald Trump has reportedly played golf on 13 of the 48 days he has been back in office — and the cost of those trips to Florida has been mounting.

After Iran rejected Trump’s offer to negotiate a nuclear deal earlier today, the White House said: “President Trump said it clearly that there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily or by making a deal. We hope the Iran Regime puts its people and best interests ahead of terror.”

Here’s how the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei responded:

The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to The Washington Post that DOGE officials have “read-only” access to the Administration for Children and Families-run Federal Parent Locator System, which contains income and federal benefits data for nearly every U.S. worker.

Reuters reports that Columbia University’s interim president said the school is working to address the “legitimate concerns” of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration after $400 million in federal grants and contracts were canceled over allegations of antisemitism on campus.

In an announcement on Friday, the government cited what it described as antisemitic harassment occurring on and around the school’s New York City campus as the reason for withdrawing the funding. The university has consistently been at the forefront of the pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel student protest movement since the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

“I want to assure the entire Columbia community that we are committed to working with the federal government to address their legitimate concerns,” Katrina Armstrong, the university’s interim president, said in a late-night message to alumni on Friday. “To that end, Columbia can, and will, continue to take serious action toward combatting antisemitism on our campus.”

The Trump administration noted that the canceled funding represents only a portion of the $5 billion in government grants that have been allocated to the university, but the institution is preparing for a financial hit.

“There is no question that the cancellation of these funds will immediately affect research and other critical functions of the University, impacting students, faculty, staff, research, and patient care,” Armstrong stated.

Federal funding accounted for approximately $1.3 billion of the university’s $6.6 billion in operating revenue for the 2024 fiscal year, according to a financial report from Columbia.