Layoffs cascaded through the federal government on Thursday after its human resources division advised agencies to terminate most of an estimated 200,000 workers on probation, a sharp escalation in the Trump administration’s drive to overhaul and shrink the federal work force.

While federal hiring has increased in recent years, federal workers, as a share of all Americans workers, remains at a historic low.

Everything you need to know about an executive order trying to put the Department of Government Efficiency in charge of massive federal workforce reductions.

Vice President JD Vance is appearing at the Munich Security Conference amid intense concern and uncertainty over the Trump administration’s foreign policy. He's meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later Friday for talks on how to negotiate a settlement to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Vice President Vance is appearing at the Munich Security Conference amid intense concern and uncertainty over the Trump administration’s foreign policy.