How DOGE is getting 'God Mode' level access into top federal agencies... and who's next: Live updates

Donald Trump's top prosecutor in Washington has launched 'Operation Whirlwind'.

The move will investigate potentially threatening comments by Democratic lawmakers against public officials including Elon Musk, the Washington Post reported.

Ed Martin, the prosecutor, sent 'letters of inquiry to Senator Chuck Schumer and California congressman Robert Garcia.

He asked that Garcia 'clarify' remarks he made about DOGE chief Musk on CNN.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at CPAC

DOGE leader Elon Musk was dressed as 'dark gothic MAGA' and sauntered around onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday with a silver and red chainsaw gifted to him by Argentinian President Javier Milei.

Musk's appearance was announced only hours before and Milei presenting his unique gift was described as an additional surprise.

The appearance marked Musk's first time at the annual conservative conference, where President Donald Trump also got his political start.

'I've become a meme,' Musk said, commenting on his all-black look, which he paired with dark sunglasses. 'This is awesome. And I just want to say, thanks for your support.'

Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter:

Senator Mitch McConnell's retirement from the Senate announced Thursday paves the way for a new senator from Kentucky, and several Republicans have already made their interest in running in 2026 known.

Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron immediately announced his bid, posting on X Thursday 'it's time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let's do this.'

Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr wrote that he is considering a run 'because Kentucky deserves a Senator who will fight for President Trump and the America First Agenda' and that he would be making his decision soon.

Businessman Nate Morris has also signaled he is considering a run. He posted a video on X reacting to McConnell announcing his retirement.

'One of the things we cannot have in Kentucky is another puppet for Mitch McConnell,' he said.

Morris, who is a major GOP donor but has never held elected office, name dropped Barr and Cameron and accused them of failing to call out McConnell for sabotaging Trump's agenda.

A Republican strategist told DailyMail.com that while attacks could be leveled against GOP candidates for working with McConnell in the past, it would be hard to find one that hasn't had some relationship with him in Kentucky.

Barr, Cameron and Morris have all aligned themselves with Trump. His endorsement in a three-way race would likely be a gamechanger.

The chair of the Senate Republican campaign arm Sen. Tim Scott said on Thursday that Kentucky is a red state, so his committee is confident the next nominee 'will be a principled, America First conservative.'

McConnell will serve out the rest of his term which is up at the end of next year.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Walz said the president’s ‘frustration’ with Ukrainian President Zelensky is ‘multifold.’

He outlined what Zelensky needs to do to get back in Trump's good graces.

Walz said Zelensky needs to show a ‘deep appreciate’ for the sacrifice the United States has made to help the Ukraine.

He also slammed Zelensky for looking past an ‘historic opportunity for America to coinvest with Ukraine in their minerals.

Zelensky, after a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, rejected the Trump administration’s demand for $500 billion in mineral wealth from Ukraine to repay Washington for wartime aid.

Walz also said he didn’t understand officials who are ‘suddenly aghast’ that the U.S. is pushing for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Some Trump and Russian officials are meeting in Saudi Arabia to start talks. Ukraine wasn’t invited and Zelensky said he’d reject any peace deal he wasn’t a part of negotiating.

Walz didn’t answer a question about Trump calling Zelensky a ‘dictator,’ declining to respond when asked if the president also thought Vladimir Putin was a dictator.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, where he will tell the U.S. leader he cannot ‘be weak’ with Vladimir Putin.

‘I'm going to tell him: 'You can't be weak with President Putin. That's not who you are, it's not your trademark, it's not in your interest,’’ Macron said as he answered questions from the French public on social media.

European leaders were left reeling when Trump, after speaking with Putin, announced peace talks between Russia and Ukraine would begin in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine was not invited.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also meet with Trump. His sit down comes on Thursday. Both England and France had said they would consider sending troops to Ukraine to help it fight off Russia.

Elon Musk will deliver remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday.

The billionaire's appearance was previously unannounced and not on the official schedule.

Musk's surprise speech will be made at the massive Republican gathering right outside of Washington, D.C. at 4:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump removed the Resolute Desk from the Oval Office to be 'refinished' a week after Elon Musk's son X left a 'gift' on it.

The commander-in-chief, a known germaphobe, swapped it out for the 'C&O' desk, which George H.W. Bush used as president.

'A President, after election, gets a choice of 1 in 7 desks,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, posting a picture of his new Oval Office setup.

'This desk, the “C&O,” which is also very well-known and was used by President George H.W. Bush and others, has been temporarily installed in the White House while the Resolute Desk is being lightly refinished - a very important job. This is a beautiful, but temporary replacement!'

Jon Michael Raasch, Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a stark warning to Europe as its nations adopt strict speech laws, reminding them U.S.-E.U. ties are based on 'shared values' and censorship is not among them.

Taking the stage at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday morning, Vance opened the three-day event with a rousing speech similar to the one he delivered last week at the Munich Security Conference.

Vance appeared quickly at ease with the friendly crowd as he flashed smiles, pumped his fist and thanked the MAGA-friendly onlookers in a Trumpian fashion.

Mercedes Schlapp, the event's organizer, sat across from the VP as she peppered him with questions about the Ukraine-Russia war, the state of Europe and the flurry of executive actions taken in the administration's first month.

The vice president also launched into a critique of one of America's closest partners.

He noted how the U.S. is losing commonality with some European states over their approach to freedom of speech.

The White House is telling Volodymyr Zelensky to 'tone down' the criticism and 'sign that deal' after he accused Donald Trump of falling for Russian fake news.

White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said on Fox News on Thursday that Zelensky must 'tone it down and take a hard look and sign that deal.'

He was referring to a critical minerals deal for providing aid to Ukraine during the war with Russia.

Waltz said the U.S. presented the Ukrainians an 'incredible and historic opportunity' to invest in its economy and natural resources.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, 83, will announce on Thursday that he will not be seeking reelection to the Senate according to the Associated Press.

McConnell, the longest-serving GOP Senate leader, has been battling a string of health issues and multiple falls.

He also has earned the ire of Donald Trump and his MAGA supporters after a yearslong feud.

McConnell voted against three of Trump's top Cabinet picks - Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr.

Sarah Ewall-Wice, Senior U.S. Political Reporter:

Democratic senators spent the morning sounding the alarms ahead of the Senate voting on the confirmation of Kash Patel to be the next FBI director.

The controversial nominee and MAGA favorite has left lawmakers along party lines deeply divided in the Senate.

‘I’m convinced he has neither the experience, the judgement or the temperament to lead the FBI,’ said Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin.

He warned his Republican colleagues are ignoring red flags including Patel's ‘reoccurring instinct to threaten retribution against his perceived enemies.’

‘This is an extremely dangerous flaw for someone who seeks to lead the nation’s most powerful domestic investigative agency for the next ten years,’ Durbin said.

The ranking member accused Patel of trying to revise history on the attack on January 6 and warned he would be a ‘political and national security disaster’ if confirmed.

Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) called him an 'instrument' in Trump's effort to destroy the FBI and Justice Department so he can be above the law.

Democrats accused Patel of lying during his confirmation hearing that he was aware of a purge at the FBI of officials connected to the Trump investigations.

Senator Alex Padilla warned that Patel lacks the independence from Trump but also argued he lacks a lack of preparation.

‘This isn’t just politics,’ he said. ‘There’s a real threat to the safety of Americans in every community across the country,’ Padilla said, warning if he is confirmed the department would be ‘weaponized.’

Jon Michael Raasch, Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Top senators have revealed to DailyMail.com the one word they would use to describe Donald Trump's first month in office.

Sauntering around Capitol Hill on a busy day for the Senate, DailyMail.com stopped lawmakers asking them to review the 78-year-old president's performance during his second term.

Trump has been busy in his first 31 days in office as his administration issues executive orders and reshapes the size and scope of the government alongside DOGE leader and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The Republican has already played host, too, inviting leaders from across the globe to Washington. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba have all had meetings with Trump at the White House in recent weeks.

So the senators were given an option to deliver their verdict and explain why they chose their particular word.

Freshman Republican from Utah Sen. John Curtis described the president's first month as 'aggressive.'

Jon Michael Raasch, Political Reporter for DailyMail.com

Vice President JD Vance has addressed an array at topics speaking early Thursday morning at CPAC.

First, Vance gave a quick jab at CNN upon taking the stage, boasting how he believes Donald Trump has more executive orders than the network has viewers.

Eliciting laughs from the crowd, Vance seemed quicky at ease among the friendly crowd.

Mercedes Schlapp, the organizer of the massive conference, then asked the VP about his stance on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Vance pleaded that peace is in all party's interests, particularly because it would benefit Americans, too, he argued.

He and Trump are working towards being the most peace-loving administration of modern times, Vance said.

'Wherever war breaks out, [Trump] is going to be the president of peace,' he said. 'We're on the cusp of peace in Europe for the first time in three years.'

The CPAC conference began with a fashion ode to DOGE during the National Anthem Thursday.

The singer, who came out unannounced after the Pledge of Allegiance sported a long white dress. Her walk-on was backed by patriotic video scenes of Arlington National Cemetery and American flags.

Lettering in red blocks running down the outfit said Democrats Officially Getting Exposed. It was a play on the DOGE acronym, which stands for the Department of Government Efficiency and has been implanting inside government agencies amid mass layoffs.

President Donald Trump is now back ‘underwater’ after his first month in office, according to a new CNN / SSRS poll.

The poll has Trump with 47 percent approval, compared to a 52 percent disapproval rating.

The poll follows an extraordinary period where Trump has been signing a series of executive order on issues ranging from procurement to D.E.I. and transgender athletes, while agencies slash federal workers

About half of respondents, 52 percent, said Trump had gone too far using his presidential power.

His approval rating is still far above where it was when Trump left office, and tops ratings throughout his first term. Voters say his biggest single action has dealt with the border and deportations, at 28 percent. Elon Musk and DOGE access to data is next, at 12 percent.

Forty-five percent said Trump has the right priorities, compared to 55 percent who say he hasn’t paid enough attention to the country’s most important problems.

He is now underwater in the RealClearPolitics average, and has been so in every public poll released this month.