Pentagon aims to cut up to 60,000 civilian jobs

WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior defense official says that roughly 50,000 to 60,000 civilian jobs will be cut in the Defense Department. But fewer than 21,000 workers who took a voluntary resignation plan are leaving in the coming months. The official said Tuesday that to reach the goal of a 5% to 8% cut in a civilian workforce of more than 900,000, the department aims to cut another 6,000 positions a month by simply not replacing workers who routinely leave. The cuts are part of the broader effort by the Department of Government Efficiency Service to slash the federal workforce and dismantle U.S. agencies. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide personnel details.

US births rose last year, but experts don’t see it as a trend

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. births rose slightly last year, but experts don’t see it as evidence of reversing a long-term decline. A little over 3.6 million births were reported for 2024. That’s 22,250 more than the final tally of 2023 U.S. births, which was released Tuesday. The 2024 total is likely to grow at least a little when the numbers are finalized, but another set of preliminary data shows overall birth rates rose only for one group of people: Hispanic women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the data. The average age of mothers at first birth has continued to rise, hitting 27 1/2 years. It was 21 1/2 in the early 1970s.

EPA plans to eliminate scientific research team, could fire more than 1,000 employees

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research team and could fire more than 1,000 scientists and other employees who help provide the scientific foundation for rules safeguarding human health and the environment. As many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists — 75% of the research program’s staff — could be laid off, according to documents reviewed by Democratic staff on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. The plan calls for dissolving the research office and reassigning remaining staff to other parts of the agency. The planned layoffs were first reported by The New York Times.

Judge rules DOGE’s USAID dismantling likely violates the Constitution

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development likely violated the Constitution and blocked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from further cuts to the agency. U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ordered the Trump administration to restore email and computer access to all employees of USAID, including those who were placed on administrative leave. The lawsuit singled out Musk as a defendant covered by the preliminary injunction. Lawyers for USAID employees and contractors had requested the order.