Wednesday, February 18, 2026

After uproar, Pete Hegseth clarifies Qatari air force facility in Idaho is not a foreign base – live

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Multiple agencies confirm reductions in force are under way

The Guardian has independently confirmed that reductions in force (RIFs) are under way at the following departments and agencies:

  • Department of Education

  • Department of Health and Human Services

  • Department of Homeland Security (specifically the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)

  • Department of the Treasury

Certain agencies haven’t immediately responded to the Guardian’s request for comment, but other media outlets have reported layoffs are expected at the following:

  • Environmental Protection Agency

  • Department of Energy

  • Department of the Interior

  • Department of Housing and Urban Development

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Key events

Trump got Covid vaccine booster on Friday, and his doctor says he has the heart of a 65-year-old

Shortly before appearing with his vaccine-skeptic health secretary on Friday, Donald Trump was vaccinated against both Covid and the flu, according to a letter from the president’s doctor.

Sean Barbabella, a US Navy captain and osteopathic physician, seemed to suggest that Trump received at least one more vaccine, without specifying against what illness, during his visit to Walter Reed Medical Center earlier in the day.

The doctor also wrote that Trump’ underwent an evaluation that included advanced imaging and laboratory testing, but cast the tests as routine and suggested that he is in “exceptional health.”

Unlike in April, when Trump underwent what was described then as “his annual physical examination”, no test results were released.

“His cardiac age – a validated measure of cardiovascular vitality via ECG – was found to be approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age” of 79, the doctor added.

There was no mention of the persistent bruising on his right hand, no update on his chronic venous insufficiency and no word on whether a cognitive test was administered, or passed with flying colors.


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