Speaker Mike
Johnson (R-LA) pulled a Republican budget blueprint from the floor on
Tuesday night after it became clear he did not have the votes to pass it
– only to revive and pass it moments later. Republicans hold a
narrow 218-215 majority in the House, and no Democrats had pledged to
vote for the bill. The measure ultimately passed, with one Republican
voting against. The legislation, which is supported by President
Donald Trump, would cut taxes by a whopping $4.5 trillion while cutting
$2 trillion in mandatory federal spending, which covers programs such as
Medicaid.
Ukraine’s steel industry, vital to its economy, faces severe challenges as Russia now controls 13 of Ukraine’s 21 coke plants and many of its 150 coal mines since annexing Crimea in 2014.
The loss of Azovstal and other plants has cut production, impacting exports and economic recovery.
Steelworkers fear territorial concessions could permanently damage the sector. Russia’s control of ports has further strained exports, while potential US tariffs add to the difficulties.
A major plant in Zaporizhzhia continues operating despite repeated attacks.
The government has no clear plan for reclaiming lost industry.
Trump’s stance raises concerns over Ukraine’s territorial future.
Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford reports from a steel plant in Zaporizhzhia in eastern Ukraine.
Federal workers who followed Elon Musk’s
directive to justify their jobs in an email now have a new concern: AI
could be deciding their fate.
The information
from employees who responded to an email that asked them to list their
accomplishments at work last week will first go through an advanced AI
system that will determine whether their positions are necessary, three
sources told NBC News.
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Whether
humans are involved in reviewing the responses—or making final
decisions about job cuts—remains unclear. The revelation has sparked
concerns about whether AI can fairly evaluate if workers are doing their
job, and if their jobs are necessary.
The White House, and the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM), which sent the email to federal workers, did not
immediately answer NBC’s request for comment as to whether humans will
review the responses.
Protesters
rally outside of the headquarters of the Office of Personnel
Management, holding signs protesting against Elon Musk, tech billionaire
and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Alex Wong/Getty Images
On
Monday evening, Musk gave federal employees a second deadline to
respond to the email OPM sent to millions of employees, telling them to
reply with “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week,” and
to copy their managers.
According to the
sources, the email requested that no links or attachments be sent
because the information was to be fed to the AI system, a Large Language
Model (LLM).
But Musk denied that an LLM will be used, claiming on X,
“No LLM needed here.” He followed up with a not so subtle threat “Lot
of people in for a rude awakening and strong dose of reality. They don’t
get it yet, but they will.”
While Musk has said failure to respond to OPM’s email will lead to termination, some agencies—including OPM itself—have told their employees that responding is optional.
ART OF THE DEAL The president had to whip a key vote himself to save Republicans’ “big” and “beautiful” budget bill, a source familiar told the Daily Beast. The Daily Beast
