Majorities of Americans disapprove of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency-driven upheaval of the federal workforce, several recent polls show.

The big picture: While Republican lawmakers have contended voters wanted drastic change, new polling suggests the Trump administration may be taking their chainsaw-wielding executive reach too far for some.

• President Trump's approval ratings also took a slight hit in recently released polling, after his initial numbers were some of the highest of his political career, though weaker than other modern presidents at the start of their terms — other than himself in 2017.

Driving the news: Trump's approval ratings dropped into more "normal territory" for him, as described in a Washington Post analysis of recent polling, which could spell trouble for the administration as their billionaire budget buster also slips underwater.

• In a Feb. 13-18 Washington Post-Ipsos poll, a net 34% of respondents said they approved of how Musk was handling his job, compared to 49% disapproving and 14% not sure.
• The poll displayed a stark divide based on party ID, with just 6% of Democrats approving of how Musk has handled his job compared to 70% of Republicans.
• But when asked if they approved of Musk shutting down federal government programs he deemed unnecessary, a smaller slice of Republicans (56%) gave their blessing, while 25% said they weren't sure and 18% disapproved.

By the numbers: In several recent national polls, more respondents disapproved of Musk or the job he's doing than approved of him.

• Over half of respondents (55%) in a Quinnipiac University poll conducted Feb. 13 to 17 said Musk has too much power in making decisions affecting the U.S., while 36% think he has about the right amount of power.
• A Pew survey of U.S. adults taken Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 showed that Americans had more negative (54%) than positive (42%) views of Musk (DOGE's dissection of the federal government has dramatically escalated since the poll was conducted).
• And a Feb. 15 to Feb. 17 Emerson College Poll showed 45% of respondents disapproved of the job Musk was doing, while 41% approved and 14% were neutral.

Some of those polls also show that Trump's disapproval ratings are surpassing his approval ratings.

• Per the Washington Post-Ipsos poll, 27% strongly approve of how Trump is handling his job — 39% strongly disapprove.
• Sixty-two percent said they don't consider the words honest and trustworthy to apply to the president.
• But even as Trump's approval ratings dip, multiple surveys showed Musk's ratings are even lower.

What we're watching: Disapproval of DOGE doesn't seem to be fazing the president, who on Saturday called for Musk to be "MORE AGGRESSIVE."

• The broad purge of the federal workforce — stretching from the Internal Revenue Service to the National Parks Service — could have far-reaching impacts — and it seems Americans aren't so sure they like that.

Go deeper: Agencies, unions tell fed workers: Don't answer Musk's threat email

President Trump's firings of Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr. and other top military leaders sends a "dangerous message" to service members about how the administration regards political loyalty, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said Sunday.

Why it matters: The controversial dismissals, which also hit Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, come as the U.S. stares down instability abroad and amid tensions with some international allies.

• Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had in the past questioned whether Brown — a four-star fighter pilot who served as the first Black chief of staff of the Air Force and the second Black general to serve as chairman — was named to the post because of his race.
• Hegseth said in a Sunday interview with "Fox News Sunday" that while he has "a lot of respect" for Brown, he's "not the right man for the moment."
• Franchetti, whom CNN reports Hegseth once described as a "DEI hire," was the first woman to serve as the chief of naval operations.

Driving the news: Democrats and some former military officials decried Trump's move to boot respected leaders, characterizing the decision as a signal from the administration that partisan loyalties outweighed expertise and experience.

• The Joint Chiefs chair "should be independent of politics," Booker said on NBC's "Meet the Press Sunday," noting Brown was "supported overwhelmingly" on both sides of the political aisle.
• But Trump, Booker said, "has thrown that out the window and is sending a dangerous message to the military: 'It's not about your independent expertise. It's not about your years of service. It's about your personal political loyalty to me.'"

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on ABC's "This Week" that the firings were "completely unjustified" and mark "the beginning of a very, very serious degradation of the military and politicization of the military."

• Reed highlighted Hegseth's decision to fire the top Army, Navy and Air Force lawyers — judge advocates general, commonly known as JAGs — saying, "If you're going to break the law, the first thing you do is you get rid of the lawyers."

The other side: Hegseth slammed Reed's criticism as "a total mischaracterization."

• He continued, "This is a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take."

Zoom in: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told ABC's Martha Raddatz in a Sunday interview that he doesn't know whether the firings were "about DEI," contending, "bottom line here to me is the Department of Defense needed a complete overhaul."

• Trump has for years railed against "woke" generals and "wokeness" he says weakened the military, such as through diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
• Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) denied Rep. James Clyburn's (D-S.C.) contention that Trump may have fired Brown because he is Black, arguing to NBC's Kristen Welker Sunday that Clyburn "constantly pulls the race card out."
• "This had zero, absolutely zero to do with race," Mullin said.

Go deeper: Trump orders purge of military academy visitor boards

People with disabilities say President Trump's DEI purge is eroding health care, education and legal protections they've only won in recent decades.

Why it matters: The Trump administration has taken actions that undermine accessibility measures — critical for leveling the playing field for people with disabilities — as part of its efforts targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

• "It's very clear that there is an orchestrated attack by conservatives to dismantle the rights of people with disabilities," said Shawn Murinko, a Washington resident who has cerebral palsy.

State of play: Trump last month ordered an end to all federal programs that mandate or invoke accessibility, alongside diversity, equity and inclusion.

• The Department of Justice said it will penalize programs that promote accessibility.
• Trump has pledged to close the Department of Education, which enforces protections for students with disabilities in school.
• Meanwhile, Food and Drug Administration officials said the word "disabled" was banned from external communications, though the White House later claimed that was an error.
• Cuts to National Institutes of Health funding also threaten existing and future disability research.
• The federal government is one of the largest employers for people with disabilities, but return-to-office mandates could force some out of their jobs.

Reality check: "Disability is a natural part of the human experience," said Katy Neas, chief executive officer of The Arc, which serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

• "All people will probably face disability at some point in their life, whether it's due to illness, injury or age, and disability affects every family, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, income or political party."

Republicans have floated cutting Medicaid, which provides health care for more than 10 million children and adults with disabilities — nearly 15% of the program's beneficiaries.

• Medicaid covers services that allow people with disabilities to live and work in their own communities rather in institutions or medical facilities. But waiting lists for those services are long.
• Medicaid-provided home and community services have been vital to Sean Pevsner, a Texas-based civil rights attorney with cerebral palsy. Their support has allowed him to attend college and law school, practice law, and lobby for disability rights, he said.

Threat level: A Republican-led lawsuit challenging a Biden-era policy to treat gender dysphoria as a protected disability has the potential to undermine a 1973 civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability, advocates warn.

• Republican attorneys general leading the lawsuit told the court they don't want the entire section of the law overturned, only the provisions on transgender care.
• However, advocates remain concerned and say LGBTQ support programs frequently overlap with the disabilities community.
• According to the Human Rights Campaign, 1 in 3 LGBTQ adults report having a disability — including more than half of transgender adults.
• "Not only is disability on the chopping block," said Lizzy Graham, an autistic transgender woman with ADHD. "We have the entire LGBTQ community on the chopping block."

Beyond policies, advocates say Trump and those in his orbit routinely denigrate people with disabilities, giving supporters license to use the same rhetoric online.

• For example Trump incorrectly blamed DEI hires and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the Federal Aviation Administration for a fatal plane crash outside of Washington, D.C.
• Elon Musk, who heads Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, also regularly uses ableist slurs in his social media posts.
• This tone is "very hurtful, because people with disabilities have a right to work, and they get their jobs because they're qualified," said Sydney Badeau, a neurodivergent self-advocate in Wisconsin.

The other side: The Trump administration takes issue with lowering standards to achieve diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility goals — not DEIA itself, the White House told Axios.

• "President Trump is a leader for all Americans. The Trump-Vance administration values the contributions of government employees with disabilities and believes they should be recognized and rewarded based on the merit of the work," a White House official said in an email.

Yes, but: Trump administration officials such as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have stigmatized disabilities by falsely linking vaccines to conditions such as autism, advocates say.

• That medicalizes disabilities, treating them as impairments that need to be fixed, Graham said. She prefers a "social model" that emphasizes societal barriers that create challenges for people with disabilities.
• Eroding support for disabled people "harkens back to the time when people with disabilities were put behind closed doors and not talked about instead of being celebrated and supported," said Nicole Jorwic, advocacy chief at Caring Across Generations, a coalition of caregivers and care recipients.

What's next: Ray Hemachandra, whose son Nicholas is autistic and medically fragile, said he wants more Republican families to join and be welcomed into disability advocacy circles.

• "I'm hopeful that we recognize, and that politicians recognize and legislators recognize, that Republicans are as likely to have a family member with intellectual and developmental disabilities as Democrats do," Hemachandran said.

Go deeper:

• Trump's DEI orders may halt progress for disabled workers
• Mapped: Medicaid recipients across the U.S.

President Trump's political operation is profiting from his flurry of executive orders by hawking gear such as "Make Greenland Great Again," "Gulf of America" and "DOGE" T-shirts, along with the black "dark MAGA" caps worn by Elon Musk.

Why it matters: Trump's team is capitalizing on his loyalists' support for his early moves to help build a $500 million war chest, which will be used to promote his agenda, back favored midterm candidates and potentially help Trump engage in politics for years to come.

Zoom in: Trump's operation has been cashing in on MAGA-themed merchandise since his 2016 campaign. But this fundraising effort is the latest reminder that for Trump, the campaign never ends.

• The black "Make America Great Again" caps that Musk frequently wears have become the Trump team's second-best selling item ever — behind only the red and white MAGA hat, according to a person with direct knowledge of the sales.
• Trump's team has sold $1.6 million worth of black MAGA caps since the election, nearly twice as much as its red counterpart. Musk and his DOGE team are under fire for pushing huge cuts in the federal workforce, but the hats keep selling in Trump's world.
• The caps, which retail for $40, were first sold during the 2024 campaign. Sales took off after Musk wore one at an October rally and declared himself "dark MAGA." Trump's team also sells matching T-shirts and sweatshirts; sales of the T-shirts raised $1.25 million for Trump's 2024 campaign.
• Musk wore a gothic-font version of the black cap at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this week. Those have drawn $400,000 in sales since the election.

Newer items being sold by Trump's operation include "DOGE"-themed shirts, with an image of Trump, Musk and the "DOGE dog." They've raked in $111,000 since the election, according to a source familiar with the sales totals.

• Recently issued "Gulf of America" T-shirts also appear to be a hit. They've raked in $24,000 in the past month.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) also is tapping into the pro-Trump merch effort.

• The House GOP's campaign arm is selling its own "Gulf of America" T-shirt, complete with an image of an eagle (which has a Trumpian swoop of hair) sipping a beer on a beach chair.
• "Greetings from the Gulf of America," reads the shirt, which sells for $35.

The big picture: Trump's operation has long been adept at tapping into issues that fire up his base and annoy liberals, and turning them into merch his fans can't get enough of.

• His 2020 campaign sold Trump-themed plastic straws as an alternative to more eco-friendly paper straws. The item sold out within hours.
• "These items are based on top-story news, and the Trump operation excels at quickly releasing this merch to hook into the news cycle," said Tim Cameron, a Republican digital strategist.

Between the lines: Launchpad Strategies, a Republican digital firm co-founded by Trump campaign aide Sean Dollman, has had a key role in producing Trump merchandise.

• Trump lieutenants say that when an aide comes up with an idea, they pass it around to fellow staffers for input. If there's agreement, it's sent for production.
• Ideas become gear quickly, often within a few days. After then-President Biden appeared to refer to Trump supporters as "garbage" during the 2024 campaign, Trump campaign aides rushed out T-shirts that said "garbage" on the front.
• The merchandise is advertised to Trump supporters on Facebook and X, and through the operation's email list.
• When a supporter buys a cap, shirt or coffee mug, they're allowing Trump's operation to capture their data — so they can be hit up for donations later.

What's next: Trump aides say they're still determining what the next piece of Trump gear will be.

• "We're going to go after whatever POTUS does next," one adviser said.

Multiple agencies and unions have reportedly told federal workers not to respond to a new email demanding that they account for their work over the last week — despite Elon Musk's threat they'll lose their jobs if they don't.

Why it matters: As much as Musk's DOGE effort has disrupted the federal government so far, there's been relatively little tangible internal pushback — until now.

• The high-stakes stand-off could reshape the federal workforce over the next couple of days and will test the depth of President Trump's support for Musk's slash-and-burn campaign.

Catch up quick: Musk posted to X on Saturday afternoon that all federal employees would get an email asking them to explain what they'd accomplished this week.

• Failure to respond, he said, would be tantamount to resignation. It followed a Trump post to Truth Social early Saturday calling on Musk to get more aggressive with his DOGE project.
• The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent the email Saturday afternoon, telling people they had until 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday to respond. (The email did not include Musk's or-else threat.)

Zoom out: Two of the largest unions representing federal workers, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), told their members not to respond, either just yet or at all.

• "AFGE will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country," union president Everett Kelley said in a statement Saturday night.

Zoom in: Beyond the unions, a number of federal departments and agencies also appear to have told employees not to respond.

• NBC reported that new FBI director Kash Patel told employees not to answer the email.
• Government Executive reported that NOAA and NSA employees were told the same.
• The New York Times reported that State Department employees were also told not to respond. And CNN reported that Department of Defense employees were advised the same on Sunday afternoon.

For the record: The White House did not respond to multiple emails for comment on Musk's threat or the (non-)response to the OPM email.

What we're watching: It remains unclear what will actually happen if employees don't respond.

• Legal action is possible, if not likely, on Monday to try and block any response.
• There's also the unanswered question of what OPM will do with all these emails, which could end up numbering in the millions.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the Department of Defense's response to Musk's email.

MSNBC's new president Rebecca Kutler plans to announce broad programming changes to the network that elevate some of its most progressive voices, sources told Axios.

Why it matters: The changes signal the network's intent to double down on its liberal bend instead of moving toward the center in a new Trump era.

State of play: The programming shifts, which will impact dayside, weekend and primetime programming, include moving former White House press secretary Jen Psaki, currently the host of the weekend show, "Inside with Jen Psaki," to anchor one of the primetime hours during the week.

• Psaki could be named anchor of MSNBC's 9 p.m. hour, which Rachel Maddow currently helms, sources told Axios. Maddow has returned to the anchor chair five times per week during the first 100 days of the Trump administration. She plans to return to anchoring just once per week on Mondays after that.
• Alex Wagner, who had been anchoring MSNBC's 9 p.m. hour Tuesday-Fridays since 2022, will remain with the network as a correspondent, sources said.
• Pskai, who joined the network in 2022, served in the Obama and Biden administrations. Her show has become the network's most-watched weekend program.

Zoom in: Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez, the trio of co-hosts that currently anchor MSNBC's weekend program "The Weekend," will move to anchor a weekday program in the 7 p.m. hour, sources added.

• Menendez would be the first Latina woman to host a primetime cable news program on MSNBC.
• Steele, formerly the chairman of the Republican National Committee, would join MSNBC anchor Nicole Wallace and "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican Congressman, as a host of a daily program on the network.

Between the lines: Sanders Townsend, formerly a spokesperson for former Vice President Kamala Harris, was hired by MSNBC in 2022, shortly before Pskai. Kutler spearheaded both programs in her previous role as MSNBC's senior vice president of content strategy.

• Kutler, a longtime producer and former head of content development and talent at CNN, has a history of developing reporters and commentators into cable news stars.
• Sources said talks are underway for Kutler to add Politico's Eugene Daniels and NYU law professor Melissa Murray to the network's lineup.
• A network spokesperson declined to comment.

The big picture: MSNBC and several of its sister cable networks are expected to be spun out from Comcast as part of a separate, standalone company that will be publicly traded.

• The split will force MSNBC to build up some of its own reporting and newsgathering infrastructure, especially in Washington D.C., where Kutler is expected to announce a new Washington Bureau for the network in coming months.

What to watch: Kutler is also hiring for a Washington bureau chief and new heads of talent, newsgathering, and content strategy.

Three years after Russia invaded Ukraine, Washington is shifting its pressure from Moscow to Kyiv as the Trump administration tries to end the war.

Why it matters: President Trump's dramatic change in U.S. policy toward Russia shocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and is fueling fears among U.S. allies that the Trump administration will side with Moscow as it tries to negotiate an end to the conflict.

• At any other time in the past 80 years, it would have been unimaginable that the U.S. president would be pressing for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin while calling Zelensky a dictator.
• Trump's approach stands in stark contrast to that of his predecessor former President Joe Biden who he claims was "played like a fiddle" by Zelensky and allowed the war to start and continue for so long.

Driving the news: Trump has been pressing Zelensky in recent days to sign an agreement that would give the U.S. and Ukraine equal shares of revenue from mining minerals and other natural resources in Ukraine.

• The agreement was Zelensky's idea and he raised it first with Trump in September.
• But while the Ukrainian president sees it as an economic partnership, Trump views the deal as a way to get back the hundreds of billions of dollars the U.S. gave Ukraine in assistance over the last three years.
• Trump said he expects the U.S. will receive $400 billion to $500 billion through the agreement.

"We are either going to sign a deal or there are going to be a lot of problems with them," Trump said in a speech on Friday.

• On Saturday, Trump said the parties were close to a deal. "We are asking for rare earth [elements] and oil — anything we can get ... we better be close to a deal," he said.
• A U.S. official involved in the negotiations confirmed a deal could be reached fairly soon. "The two sides continue to engage constructively in the process. Top officials on both sides are focused on getting this done," the official said.

Between the lines: The mineral deal isn't directly related to the negotiations to end the war but it has exacerbated tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine amid Trump's outreach to Russia about negotiations to end the conflict.

Catch up quick: Ending the war in Ukraine was one of Trump's key campaign promises.

• Since he assumed office, Trump began criticizing Ukraine and alienating NATO allies while warming up to Russia.
• After Trump spoke over the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, senior U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia in a significant breakthrough in frozen U.S.-Russia relations.
• The renewed engagement with Russia launched a diplomatic process to end the war, but its fast pace and initial focus on Moscow created anxiety in Ukraine and among U.S. allies in Europe.

As the U.S. began engaging with Putin, Trump cranked up pressure on Zelensky and began attacking him personally.

• Trump falsely claimed Ukraine started the war, called Zelensky a dictator and said he doesn't think it's important that the Ukrainian president be part of meetings between the U.S. and Russia about how to end the war.

The big picture: The U.S. position is also applying diplomatic pressure on Ukraine and its Western allies at the UN and in other international forums.

• The Trump administration is trying to push back on a UN General Assembly resolution presented by Ukraine marking three years for the Russian invasion.
• European diplomats say the U.S. is pushing numerous countries to not support the Ukrainian text, and instead get behind a U.S. text that doesn't refer to the Russian invasion and doesn't put any responsibility for the war on Russia. The U.S. draft resolution calls for ending the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement on Saturday said supporting the "simple, historic resolution ... affirm[s] that this conflict is awful, that the UN can help end it, and that peace is possible."

What they're saying: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Saturday evening that Trump "believes very strongly that Russia is willing to make a deal, and he's fighting to make a deal" to end the war.

• She said national security adviser Mike Waltz is going to "work around the clock" all weekend to get a deal.
• "The President [and] his team are very much focused on continuing negotiations with both sides of this war to end the conflict and the President is very confident we can get it done this week," she said.

What to watch: On Monday, the leaders of the G7 countries are expected to hold a virtual meeting marking three years since the Russian invasion. European diplomats said the U.S. currently opposes the draft statement for the meeting because it refers to Russia as "the aggressor."

• The U.S. is also planning to bring a draft resolution about the war in Ukraine to a vote at the UN Security Council on Monday, according to European diplomats who say the proposed text also doesn't hold Russia accountable for the invasion and only calls for ending the conflict.
• The diplomats said France and the UK will face a dilemma about whether to veto the U.S. resolution on the same day French President Emmanuel Macron meets Trump in the Oval Office and the same week that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit the White House.

Employee buyouts, terminations and uncertainty at multiple federal agencies are sparking warnings about an erosion of scientific and technical expertise at a crucial moment.

Why it matters: No one country now dominates in every scientific field. The U.S. is in a tight competition with China for science and tech leadership as innovation amasses more economic value and geopolitical tensions rise.

• "It doesn't just impact federal employees," said a former National Science Foundation employee. "It will reduce our ability to maintain any leadership in the international landscape."

The big picture: By purging workers as well as enticing people to quit via early retirement, the federal government has cast aside specialists needed to help agencies fulfill their missions.

• Rocket scientists, ecologists, climate scientists, AI experts, chemists and other highly skilled workers have been affected.
• The scientists who remain at agencies are trying to do more with less, while in many cases anxiously awaiting more cuts.

Zoom in: Agencies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are seeing a slew of early retirements plus job cuts that have either been carried out or are likely to come.

• People are "walking away with years of institutional knowledge," one current NOAA scientist said.
• "The door is revolving pretty quickly at NASA right now," one current space agency worker said. "They are losing people with tremendous amounts of experience."

Axios spoke to four current employees, and four who lost their jobs in recent weeks, who requested anonymity out of fear of retribution. They expressed concerns about a brain drain and loss of expertise.

Catch up quick: The National Science Foundation on Feb. 18 cut 168 employees — about 10% of its staff.

• Half were probationary employees, many of whom have Ph.D.s in their fields.
• The other half were contract workers who are highly specialized in their fields and who often work full-time jobs at universities and other institutions.

The intrigue: NOAA is bracing for cuts to its probationary workforce, and is already losing employees to the early retirement offer.

• The top climate and weather agency also operates satellites, manages national fisheries and handles marine species protection.
• NASA appears to have avoided immediate and sweeping cuts to its probationary staff — but a wave of high-profile retirements have cast uncertainty over the flagship Artemis Mission to return to the Moon.
• "Everyone is wondering if the other shoe is going to drop or what they're going to hear next week or never. It's terrible," one NASA employee said, adding that it has already driven people away.
• About 5% of NASA's workforce took the administration's deferred resignation buyout deal, NASA stated. The agency said it plans to cut its probationary workforce based on employee performance.

The other side: Addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, President Trump trumpeted his general efforts to cut government.

• "We have escorted the radical-left bureaucrats out of the building and have locked the doors behind them," he said. "We've gotten rid of thousands."
• In an earlier post on Truth Social, he praised Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency: "ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE."
• NASA and NSF didn't respond to questions about concerns of loss of expertise.

Between the lines: Probationary employees have typically been in their roles less than one or two years.

• But that doesn't necessarily mean they haven't worked in the government for longer. The probationary clock can sometimes reset when someone is promoted, transferred between agencies or steps into a new role.

The impact: The consequences of losing scientists, engineers, technicians and educators who conduct research, review grant applications, engage with communities across the country and oversee programs and missions will come in waves, several people said.

• "The immediate loss is by removing all the people we brought in to fill critical gaps in ecological modeling, advanced survey statistics, cloud and AI advancements," the current NOAA scientist said.

The main role of NSF is assessing proposals from scientists and engineers for taxpayer-funded research. Its annual budget is roughly $9 billion.

• "We need people who are incredibly smart with the expertise to determine if research is feasible and if it is moving the needle forward," the former NSF employee said.

What to watch: A secondary impact may be on the pipeline of future STEM talent in the U.S.

• The cuts "remove all desire for new workers to look at the government as a realistic option," the NOAA scientist said.
• It is "chopping off the whole younger layer, which any place needs to survive. These are people who know AI and have grown up with this stuff that these old fogies haven't."
• "To move us forward, we need them."

Elon Musk on Saturday said all federal employees will be required to send an email reporting what they accomplished in the last week — and failing to do so will be considered a resignation.

Why it matters: It's a page straight out of the playbook Musk used when he took over Twitter, making workers justify themselves to stay employed.

• The difference is that these are Civil Service employees, many with union protection — to say nothing of a Congress increasingly ill at ease with the blowback over how they're being fired.

Catch up quick: Musk posted his demand to X on Saturday afternoon.

• "Consistent with President (Trump's) instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation," he wrote.
• It follows a Trump post to Truth Social early Saturday morning, calling on Musk to get more aggressive with DOGE's government-slashing efforts.

Zoom out: Musk's post appears to mark the start of the next phase of DOGE's efforts to slash the federal workforce, following tens of thousands of terminations of probationary employees in recent days.

What they're saying: The president of the largest union for federal employees, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), was quick to blast Musk's demand.

• "It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to the this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life," Everett Kelley said in a statement.
• "AFGE will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country."

For the record: The White House did not immediately respond to an email for comment on Musk's post.

Advocates, historians, and descendants of enslaved people are planning to join a 60-mile walk in Texas to bring attention to the Underground Railroad to Mexico — a lesser-known route that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.

Why it matters: The "Walking Southern Roads to Freedom," scheduled for March 3 to 9 in South Texas, is the latest development drawing attention to a largely forgotten episode of Black/Latino history amid a new surge of research and advocacy around the route.

Zoom in: Organizers say the walk will begin at La Sal del Rey, a salt lake in Hidalgo County, Texas, and pass many historic sites believed to be connected to the Underground Railroad to Mexico.

• Faith leaders, descendants, artists from Philadelphia and Kansas City, and representatives from the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge, Maryland, are expected to join the seven-day march.
• Organizers say the walk will begin in La Sal del Rey, a salt lake in Hidalgo County, Texas and go through many historic sites believed to be connected to the Underground Railroad to Mexico.
• The event will also include a stop in Mexico to commemorate country's role in the underground walk to freedom. The walk will end in the border town of McAllen, Texas.

The intrigue: The event is a culmination of research by Roseann Bacha-Garza, a program manager for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools in Edinburg, Texas.

• She said the gathering will "increase awareness about the resilience and resolve of freedom seekers of African ancestry who participated in underground railroad-like activities from south Texas to Mexico."
• Bacha-Garza said the plans for the walk began after the school received a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom designation for the Jackson Ranch Church and Martin Jackson Cemetery in San Juan, Texas, from the U.S. National Park Service.
• Those sites once served as a gateway to Mexico for enslaved people seeking freedom.

Zoom out: The Jackson ranch was located next to another owned by Silvia Hector Webber — dubbed by some historians as the "Harriet Tubman" of the Underground Railroad to Mexico — and her husband, John, who was white.

• The Webbers built a ferry landing on their property to help enslaved escapees move along the Colorado River toward Mexico, says Ohio State history professor María Esther Hammack.

Context: Historians have known for decades that some enslaved Black people in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Alabama escaped slavery by heading south.

• Oral histories, archives of slave escape ads, and narratives of formerly enslaved people show that fleeing to Mexico had been a possibility leading up to the U.S. Civil War.
• Abolitionists wrote about "colonies" of formerly enslaved Black people popping up in towns across northern Mexico — a country that had abolished slavery in the 1830s.

Yes, but: How many people fled south of the border remained a mystery, and historians debate just how well-organized the network was.

The Plano African American Museum in Plano, Texas, is opening an exhibit on March 6 called "Risking It All For Freedom: Women Who Crafted The Underground Railroad Into Mexico."

• It is being partly organized by the descendants of Silvia Hector Webber.

Pope Francis was in critical condition after an "asthma-like respiratory crisis" following earlier reports of pneumonia in both his lungs, the Vatican said on Saturday.

The big picture: The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to Rome's Agostino Gemelli Hospital earlier this month with bronchitis symptoms and his treatment was changed after doctors found he had a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract.

What they're saying: "Today's blood tests also revealed thrombocytopenia, associated with anemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions," the Vatican said Saturday.

• "The Holy Father remains alert and spent the day in an armchair, although he is more uncomfortable than yesterday. At the moment, the prognosis remains guarded."

Catch up quick: The Vatican said the earlier polymicrobial infection arose "in the context of bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis" and which required antibiotics, "makes the therapeutic treatment more complex."

• A follow-up chest X-ray Tuesday afternoon "demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia that required further pharmacological therapy," said the Vatican of the pope, who has a history of respiratory health issues.
• "The Holy Father remains alert and spent the day in an armchair, although he is more uncomfortable than yesterday," the Vatican said Saturday. "At the moment, the prognosis remains guarded."

Go deeper: Pope jabs Vance, criticizes Trump admin for mass deportations

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the pope's latest condition.

• Axios' Lauren Floyd contributed reporting.

President Trump has unleashed a torrent of policy changes and executive actions, rapidly reshaping the political landscape.

• Here's our recap of key developments the past week.

Trump and Zelensky tension escalates

By all evidence, Trump was putting it mildly when he said Friday at a White House meeting with U.S. governors that he's "had not such good talks with Ukraine."

• Trump falsely suggested Ukraine started the war with Russia on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Trump called President Volodymyr Zelensky "a dictator without elections," leaving the Ukraine leader out of hours-long talks with Saudi Arabia on ending the conflict with Russia.

Reality check: "Zelensky was democratically elected in a fair and free election," Axios' Barak Ravid writes.

The Ukrainian president said on Wednesday Trump "lives in a disinformation space" the Kremlin created.

Trump's war of words against media

The Trump administration sent a memo on Friday closing the Pentagon briefing room to media taping, writing or recording when a briefing isn't happening.

• The memo penned by Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot is the latest administrative action restricting media access. Previously, Trump banned the Associated Press from the Oval Office over its stylebook, which still uses the Gulf of Mexico instead of his preferred Gulf of America.
• The White House Correspondents' Association condemned the decision last week as an "outrageous and a deeply disappointing escalation" restricting constitutionally protected press freedoms.
• The Associated Press filed suit over the ban Friday afternoon.

Trump asserts authority

Trump has claimed in an executive order he has direct authority over several federal agencies that have historically been independent.

• The order Trump signed Tuesday expands his control over the SEC, CFTC and FDIC, as well as the Federal Reserve's banking regulation role, but it explicitly excludes monetary policy decisions.
• The order maintains that the Office of Management and Budget director will set performance standards for independent agency heads and control budgets, including restricting spending.
• That essentially "turns the OMB director into a kind of uber-regulator, with power over agency heads across the government, including those who historically operated with little White House meddling," Axios' Neil Irwin writes.

Widening IVF access

Trump put a call out via executive order Tuesday for more ideas to reduce the costs of in vitro fertilization because, as the president put it campaigning last year, "we want more babies."

• IVF can range between $12,000 and $25,000 a cycle and is "often not fully covered by health insurance," the White House said in a fact sheet.
• About a quarter of employers offer some coverage for the procedure, per the White House.

Trump axes cop misconduct database

Trump shut down the first national database tracking misconduct among federal law enforcement officers — an idea the president initially supported after the police murder of George Floyd in 2020.

• The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database was created as part of an executive order by former President Biden, and now the site has an update atop it explaining: "User agencies can no longer query or add data to the NLEAD."
• The closure, first reported by the Washington Post on Thursday, ends a defining moment of earlier Black Lives Matter demonstrations, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.

Trump picks confirmed this week

Trump's Cabinet and West Wing nominees are steadily clearing Senate confirmation, solidifying this administration's leadership team.

• Howard Lutnick, the billionaire former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO, was confirmed as Commerce secretary in a 51-45 vote on Tuesday.
• The Senate confirmed MAGA ally Kash Patel as FBI director on Thursday in a 51-49 vote.

More from Axios:

• Trump ousts top U.S. Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown and other leaders
• Tracking Trump: 5 moves this week with lasting impact
• Trump moves you might have missed this week

Six Israeli hostages were released by Hamas on Saturday as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The big picture: All living hostages who were part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal have now been released.

• The bodies of four dead hostages are expected to be returned to Israel on Thursday to conclude the release of all 33 hostages part of the deal's first phase.

Driving the news: Four of the hostages who were released on Saturday were kidnapped on October 7 and held in captivity for 505 days: Tal Shoham, Omer Wenkert, Eliya Cohen amd Omer Shem-Tov.

• Two of the released hostages have been held by Hamas for more than a decade: Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.
• Israel released 600 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday. Among them were 445 Palestinians who have been detained by the IDF in Gaza since October 8 and roughly 100 prisoners who were serving life sentences for murdering Israelis.

What's next: The 42-day ceasefire of the first phase of the Gaza deal will end next Saturday. According to the agreement, the ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations over the second phase of the deal are taking place.

• White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff held talks earlier this week with Israeli minister Ron Dermer, who is leading the negotiations on the second phase from the Israeli side, and with Qatari Prime Ministory Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who is the key mediator with Hamas.
• But there are no signs yet that the parties are close to an agreement on the second phase of the deal or to extend the current phase.

Zoom in: Hamas said on Saturday it is ready to release all remaining hostages together if an agreement is reached on the second phase of the deal.

• Hamas said in a statement it demands such an agreement leads to the end of the war, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of all remaining Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
• Israel, on the other hand, demands that any such agreement will lead to the end of Hamas' control of Gaza and the departure of its leaders to exile.
• "It is hard to square that circle," Witkoff said at a conference in Miami on Thursday.
• President Trump suggested on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no qualms about resuming the war in Gaza at the end of the first phase in a week,

What they are saying: Witkoff stressed he hopes the good will from phase one of the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal "will go into phase two".

• He added that phase two is more difficult, "but if we work hard there is a chance for success".
• "We are making a lot of progress in the conversations and hopefully it would lead to good results," he added.

The pipeline for new apartments in old offices is growing.

Why it matters: Converting offices is easier said than done, but cities and developers see it as one of the best ways to reduce vacancies while adding housing.

Between the lines: Such flips take time, money, and, often, government help.

• Developers completed less than 7% of office-to-apartment units underway in 2024, pushing most into 2025, according to a recent RentCafe report.
• Meanwhile, thousands of new conversions have been proposed.

What's next: The New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles metros are set to see the most office-to-apartment conversions in the coming years, per the report.

Go deeper: How old schools are turning into homes

President Trump fired Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr. and other top military leaders on Friday.

The big picture: The terminations, also reaching Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, come amid the Trump administration's mass firings and pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

• Brown, a four-star fighter pilot, is the first Black chief of staff of the Air Force and the second Black general to serve as chairman, following Colin Powell.
• Franchetti is the first woman to serve as the highest-ranking officer of the U.S. Navy.
• Brown, Franchetti and Slife were all nominated to their roles by former President Biden.

Context: The Pentagon will also fire about 5,400 probationary workers next week and impose a hiring freeze as part of the Trump administration's federal workforce overhaul.

• "As we take these important steps to reshape the workforce to meet the President's priorities, the Department will treat our workers with dignity and respect as it always does," the Defense Department said in a news release Friday.

Catch up quick: Trump has claimed the military's leadership is too heavily focused on diversity issues, and he signed an executive order on January 27 directing the Defense Department to ax DEI programs.

Zoom in: Trump thanked Brown for more than 40 years of service to the United States, calling him "a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader" in a Truth Social post.

• The president also nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine for Joint Chief of Staffs chair, claiming he "was passed over for promotion" by Biden.
• Caine, a career F-16 pilot served on active duty and in the National Guard, and was the CIA's associate director for military affairs.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Franchetti and Slife's terminations by saying he was seeking nominations for their positions in a statement Friday.

• The Defense secretary has also described Brown's DEI work in the military as "woke," using the term as criticism.
• "Under President Trump," Hegseth said, "we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars."

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional terminations and context.

If you have travel plans for May or beyond, check your ID to see if it meets federal requirements.

Why it matters: Starting May 7, a Real ID compliant license or identification card — or another acceptable document — is needed to board a commercial aircraft in the U.S.

• The guidelines also apply when visiting military bases and secure federal buildings like courthouses.

What is a Real ID?

The big picture: A Real ID is a state-issued driver's license or identification card that meets federal security standards.

• Compliant IDs are typically marked with a star in the upper right corner, though the specific design may vary by state.

When is the Real ID deadline?

Threat level: May 7 is the enforcement deadline for Real ID after years of delays.

• The Department of Homeland Security estimates that 61.2% of Real IDs, relative to all driver's license and identification in circulation, will be Real ID-compliant by May 7, according to a final rule published in January.

Real ID Act of 2005

Flashback: Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, seeking to beef up security surrounding IDs used at airports.

• The law was scheduled to be enforced in 2008 but has been delayed many times.
• All states were compliant for issuing Real IDs in 2020 but many states were in compliance earlier.
• In 2022, the enforcement deadline was extended to May 2025.

When you need a Real ID and when you don't

Zoom in: You need a Real ID if:

• You travel on a plane in the U.S. (and don't have a valid passport or other acceptable ID),
• Visit a military base or a secure federal building like a courthouse or
• Enter nuclear power plants.

Zoom out: You don't need a Real ID to drive, vote or open a bank account.

• TSA does not require children under 18 to provide identification when traveling within the count

How to get a Real ID, DMV appointments

How it works: Go to your state's driver's licensing agency website to find out exactly what documentation is required to obtain a Real ID.

• In some states, you can order a Real ID and others you'll need to make an appointment with the local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Between the lines: Federal and state officials are urging people to upgrade their IDs now so they're prepared for the upcoming deadline.

• Last-minute surges in demand for Real IDs are expected ahead of the deadline.
• Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said Thursday that state facilities are seeing "unprecedented" traffic for Real ID appointments, NBC Chicago reports.

Real ID requirements

State of play: DHS says at a minimum you must provide documentation that shows your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address of principal address and lawful status, DHS says.

• Find your states' requirements and how to get a Real ID on this DHS page.
• Check out Axios Local guides for getting a Real ID in the following cities: Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Richmond and Seattle.

Real ID alternatives include passport

What we're watching: The Transportation Security Association says there are other forms of acceptable identification to show at the airport checkpoint in order to travel.

• Enhanced Driver's Licenses (EDL) issued by Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont are also considered acceptable alternatives.
• U.S. passport or passport card and DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• Permanent resident card
• Find the TSA's full list of acceptable identification here.

Will the Real ID deadline be extended again?

The latest: Another extension isn't expected but TSA published a final rule in January that provides a "framework for federal agency phased enforcement" of Real ID requirements starting May 7.

• TSA has not made a final decision on an exact phased approach, an agency spokesperson told Axios.

What happens if you don't have a Real ID after May 7

What's next: "Travelers who fly after May 7, 2025 and still do not possess a REAL ID are strongly encouraged to use their U.S. passport or other acceptable form of ID when flying domestically," the TSA spokesperson told Axios.

• "TSA also recommends that these passengers arrive a little earlier than normal to allow time for the identity verification process."

Long lines and airport delays are expected.

• "TSA recommends individuals without acceptable identification arrive at least three hours in advance of their flight time," the government agency said.

More from Axios:

• Wendy's hosts Girl Scout cookie sales, debuts Thin Mints Frosty
• Dunkin' joins Starbucks in dropping nondairy milk fee
• Costco extends gas station hours across the country

Local LGBTQ-serving community organizations are among nine nonprofits that sued the Trump administration Friday over executive orders targeting transgender and nonbinary people.

Why it matters: President Trump ran his campaign on an incendiary anti-trans platform that promoted false claims about the community, which make up 1.3% of U.S. adults.

State of play: One of his first actions in office was to direct the federal government to only recognize two sexes, male and female.

• He has since ordered federal agencies to limit gender-affirming care for youth, restrict information about trans issues and bar trans women and girls in federally-funded schools from participating in sports that align with their gender identity.

Driving the news: Filed by Lambda Legal, the lawsuit alleges Trump's actions "pose an existential threat to transgender people and the organizations that ... provide them with life-saving services."

• The plaintiffs, which include San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF), GLBT Historical Society and San Francisco Community Health Center, are asking the district court to declare the orders unconstitutional and block their implementation.
• The lawsuit also accuses the Trump administration of expressing "a disparaging, demeaning, idiosyncratic, and unscientific viewpoint about transgender people and gender identity."
• That exponentially increases harm against trans people — who are already four times more likely to be victims of violent crime — and other marginalized populations, plaintiffs argue.

What they're saying: "These executive orders attempt to erase an entire community and enshrines blatant discrimination as national policy" while threatening to withdraw funds from organizations "simply because they acknowledge the reality of the people they serve," Lambda Legal's Jose Abrigo, the lead lawyer in the case, said in a press call Friday.

• "Moreover, if these executive orders stand, they set a dangerous precedent where the government can dictate what private organizations, researchers and service providers can say and do, even when it contradicts established medical, legal and historical fact."

Zoom in: The legal challenge comes after federal agencies sent notices terminating federal funding to organizations that serve trans people and other underserved communities, according to Lambda Legal.

• "We will not sit by and let this happen without a fight," SF Community Health Center CEO Lance Toma said in the press call.

Between the lines: Both SF Community Health Center and SFAF receive millions of federal dollars annually to provide its services. That includes free HIV testing and prevention work, mpox interventions, culturally competent care and programs that address disparities in health outcomes.

• Taking away that funding would force them to reduce services and turn away clients, the lawsuit argues. SFAF alone serves roughly 27,000 clients per year.
• The GLBT Historical Society, whose founding members included trans people, has similarly relied on federal funding to preserve materials related to LGBTQ+ communities for nearly 20 years.
• Trump's orders would force potential cuts to staff and operations, leading to a loss of access to priceless archives that reflect "accurate representations of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people throughout time," the lawsuit alleges.

Other nonprofits involved in the lawsuit include Prisma Community Care in Arizona, the NYC LGBT Community Center, Bradbury-Sullivan Community Center in Pennsylvania, Baltimore Safe Haven and FORGE in Wisconsin.

The other side: Trump has said his executive orders are an effort to defend women from "gender ideology extremism" and restore "biological truth."

• On the campaign trail last year, he frequently lambasted what he called "transgender craziness" and falsely claimed that gender-affirming operations are being conducted in schools without parents' knowledge.
• The White House did not immediately return our request for comment.

Go deeper: One month of fear for groups targeted by Trump's executive orders

While DOGE has begun facing a measure of GOP backlash, some Republicans are privately brushing off a spate of raucous protests and town halls in their districts targeting President Trump's government efficiency efforts.

Why it matters: The muted reaction signals at least some willingness, even by electorally vulnerable Republicans, to continue marching into this firestorm on behalf of the president to whom they've tethered their fates.

• Democrats, however, see echoes of their triumphant 2018 election cycle and are eager to press their advantage.
• "House Republicans have galvanized voters across the country to come out in protest against their Medicaid cuts, veteran layoffs, and defunding of health care for 9/11 first responders," said CJ Warnke, a spokesperson for Democrats' House Majority PAC.

Driving the news: Angry constituents flocked to House Republicans' town hall events and district offices this week to protest DOGE's efforts to slash spending and lay off huge chunks of the federal workforce.

• Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) faced a large and testy audience at a town hall on Thursday, with Reps. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.), Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) also getting heated questioning.
• Swing-district Reps. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) and Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) all had demonstrations outside their offices.

What we're hearing: One swing-district House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share candid thoughts, told Axios they have "zero concerns" about a protest they're expecting outside their office.

• "It's 2017 all over. They've hated Trump since 2016. Same folks largely," the lawmaker said, although they added, "Most hate [Elon] Musk based on the calls."
• "That's all manufactured bulls**t for likes and clickbait," said another House Republican, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly about the upswell in protests.

Reality check: 2017 preceded a GOP wipeout in the 2018 midterm elections. Democrats took control of the House for the first time in nearly a decade by riding a wave of anti-Trump sentiment.

• Strategists on both sides expect any wave on either side to be far smaller next year, but Democrats are bullish they can at least retake the House by harnessing anger toward the administration.
• "House Republicans can run from town halls and protests, but they can't hide from their own constituents — and it will cost them in 2026," said Warnke.

Between the lines: The liberal groups who have bombarded Democratic lawmakers into demonstrating more active resistance to the administration are not shying away from their role in organizing these confrontations.

• MoveOn said in a press release: "MoveOn members and allies will show up at congressional-led town halls and congressional offices across the country, targeting House Republicans whose votes will be crucial in opposing Trump and Musk's harmful policies."
• The Working Families Party and Indivisible similarly lauded the protests, with Indivisible framing them as part of their "Week of Action."

Friday marks the 60th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X (also known as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz) following a brief but lasting career as a civil rights advocate and Black nationalist.

Through the lens: Here are some images of Malcolm X's evolution from a life of crime, to a prominent leader in the Nation of Islam, to an international traveler investigating racism against Asians, to a cultural icon.

Go deeper: Attorney wants Malcolm X FBI/CIA files to be declassified

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella canceled planned remarks at CPAC Friday, after ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon made a "gesture referring to Nazi ideology," according to a statement to French news agency Agence France-Presse.

Why it matters: Bardella's change of plans is the strongest rebuke yet of Bannon, who, during his remarks at the annual conservative conference made a gesture that appeared to mimic a Hitlergruß, or Nazi salute.

• "This is a lie … It's a wave … I acknowledged a crowd after the best speech @ CPAC," Bannon told Axios.
• Bannon added that he sees Bardella as "gutless ... not tough enough to be a leader of France — he's a spokesmodel."
• A CPAC representative did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Driving the news: "At this forum, (Thursday), while I was not present in the room, one of the speakers allowed himself, out of provocation, a gesture referring to Nazi ideology," Bardella said in a statement to AFP.

• "As a result, I have taken the immediate decision to cancel my speech scheduled for this afternoon at the event."

The big picture: The Bannon incident comes about a month after Trump-ally Elon Musk also made a hand gesture that drew comparisons to a Nazi salute.

• Despite blowback, Musk dismissed the criticisms, writing on X: "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired."

Go deeper: ADL condemns Musk's Nazi "jokes" after salute controversy

Axios' Alex Isenstadt contributed reporting.