Trump’s press secretary won’t rule out US troops in Gaza after president’s shocking ‘take over’ comments: Live updates

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith threw Sean Hannity’s complaints about diversity, equity and inclusion back into his face on Tuesday night by wondering how exactly Hannity’s former Fox News colleague Pete Hegseth was “qualified” to run the massive Department of Defense.

Justin Baragona watched the exchange.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told President Donald Trump on Wednesday to avoid ethnic cleansing in Gaza after the U.S. leader proposed Palestinians resettle elsewhere and the United States take over the war-torn enclave.

“In the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse. It is vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law. It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing,” Guterres told a previously planned meeting of a U.N. committee.

“We must reaffirm the two-state solution,” he said.

While Guterres did not mention Trump or his Gaza proposal during his address to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters earlier that it would be a “fair assumption” to view Guterres’ remarks as a response.

The Central Intelligence Agency offered its entire workforce a buyout this week, as President Donald Trump seeks to overhaul the federal government in his vision.

It is unclear how many CIA employees have accepted the buyout. The exact number of CIA employees is not public information.

Ariana Baio has the story.

During his press conference on Tuesday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said the U.S. will “take over” Gaza, displacing the 2.1 million Palestinians living there while the territory is rebuilt as “the Riviera of the Middle East.” Pressed on those comments on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to clarify his shocking proposal by stating that there is currently no plan to put American boots on the ground there, nor would American taxpayers foot the bill for reconstructing the territory he has described as “a demolition site.”

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, D.C.

Jeff Stein of The Washington Post reports that he was sent audio of a call between federal workers and their Human Resources team to discuss the terms of the “deferred resignation” agreements offered by DOGE.

According to the recording, an employee asks if the agreement were to be rescinded after they accept, would they would have any recourse.

In short, no, they would not.

Guatemala will accept 40 percent more deportation flights from the U.S., including both Guatemalan deportees and those of other nationalities, President Bernardo Arevalo said after a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.

Rubio, speaking at a press conference alongside Arevalo following their meeting in Guatemala City, pledged U.S. support for the Central American country’s efforts to return people not from Guatemala to their homeland.

Washington’s top diplomat, who is touring Central America to discuss migration in his first trip abroad as secretary of State, said Arevalo’s offer to increase the number of flights Guatemala accepts was “very important for us in terms of the migratory situation that we’re facing.”

“His willingness to accept not just nationals but those from other nationalities as they seek to ultimately return to their own homelands is also important, and we’ve pledged our support with those efforts,” Rubio said.

The details of the increase in flights will be discussed in working groups to be established, Arevalo said.

Is it really wise to simulate a wild persona with crazy ideas to get what you want? Guy Walters looks at what history tells us…

A House hearing descended into chaos when MAGA firebrand Nancy Mace, a lawmaker from South Carolina, repeatedly shouted an anti-trans slur.

During a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Mace listed off a slew of government expenditures, when Ranking Member Gerald Connolly took issue with her use of the word “t*****.’

Mace’s position on the LGBTQ+ community has radically shifted in recent years.

Here’s Katie Hawkinson’s report from Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump has revoked federal security protection for former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing two people with knowledge of the matter.

Esper, who served during Trump’s first term in office, joins his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, his former national security adviser John Bolton and former Iran envoy Brian Hook in having his security detail withdrawn since Trump took office on January 20.