topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

pittsburgh

atlanta

san-diego

charlotte

boulder

washington-dc

kansas-city

dallas

denver

detroit

des-moines

austin

boston

chicago

cleveland

columbus

houston

indianapolis

miami

nashville

new-orleans

nw-arkansas

philadelphia

phoenix

portland

richmond

salt-lake-city

san-antonio

san-francisco

seattle

tampa-bay

twin-cities

raleigh

huntsville

colorado-springs

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

National

President Trump, in a highly unusual new effort, has begun making significant staffing changes inside top federal agencies without the consent — and, in at least one case, without even the knowledge — of the agency head, according to officials familiar with the effort.

Why it matters: This campaign — helmed by Trump's loyalty enforcer, a 30-year-old former body man who now runs hiring for the government — is part of the systematic purging or reassigning of those deemed insufficiently supportive of Trump.

The effort's pace has alarmed top officials, according to 11 current and former officials with direct knowledge of the situation.

Behind the scenes: Trump has empowered John McEntee, director of the Presidential Personnel Office, in a way his predecessors never were. In his short time on the job, McEntee has flexed this power, steamrolling Cabinet officials and agency heads to install his chosen candidates.

An extraordinary scene played out late in the morning on March 26, according to two administration officials with direct knowledge of the events, when Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, learned he would have a new head of public affairs at his agency.

A crucial position such as this would normally be appointed only with the agency head’s support. But Wolf learned about his new public affairs chief, Alexei Woltornist, by reading the White House's public press release.

Wolf was furious, according to these sources. He called the White House Situation Room to try to reach McEntee to find out how this could happen without his knowledge, let alone consent. And he complained privately to colleagues about how PPO treated him.

McEntee's PPO has also clashed with the acting chief of immigration and customs enforcement over personnel, as Politico first reported.

The other side: Wolf is an acting Cabinet secretary, so McEntee can overrule him on staffing in a way he wouldn’t do with a favored Cabinet official like Mike Pompeo. And given the importance that both the president and his conservative allies place on immigration, they are determined to install their preferred political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security.

In this instance, Wolf succeeded in saving — at least for the time being — his existing head of public affairs, Dirk Vande Beek, who had only recently been hired at DHS. Vande Beek remains in charge of DHS public affairs, and Woltornist is working as his deputy.

McEntee also bulldozed Dale Cabaniss, the head of the Office of Personnel Management — the federal government's HR department. Politico reported that she quit in March because of "poor treatment" from McEntee. Sources familiar with the situation shared additional details with Axios.

Without Cabaniss' consent, McEntee appointed Paul Dans as a new White House liaison to OPM.

Dans came in and immediately told his Senate-confirmed boss that everything she did would now have to go through him. He also told Cabaniss she would be getting a new chief of staff, whether she liked it or not.

Cabaniss pushed back and phoned McEntee to try to overrule Dans' decision about her new chief of staff. McEntee bluntly told her she had to follow Dans' orders. She then quit.

And, to the growing frustration of Defense Secretary Mark Esper, McEntee is trying to exert more control over staffing at the Defense Department. Trump's conservative allies have long told the president he needs more loyalists there, per two sources with direct knowledge.

Before McEntee took over PPO, Esper had already made selections, which the White House had cleared, to fill a number of vacancies. But McEntee restarted the selection process and overrode Esper's decisions on key positions.

For example, Esper had green-lit Katie Wheelbarger to be the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. McEntee overruled that decision, even though the White House had already announced her nomination in a press release.

McEntee killed the nomination of Elaine McCusker as the Pentagon's comptroller, also over Esper's objections. The Senate already had her paperwork. 

And Esper had decided to promote David Trulio to an assistant secretary position, but McEntee squashed that plan and moved Trulio to the Export-Import Bank. This was coupled with Trump's firing of John Rood, the Pentagon's undersecretary for policy.

Despite this, Wheelbarger and McCusker still remain at the Pentagon in acting positions. McEntee simply blocked Esper from getting them into Senate-confirmed roles.

The big picture: McEntee is doing exactly what Trump wants him to do, administration officials say. And his moves have thrilled conservative activists, who've long urged Trump to purge his administration of insufficiently loyal officials and to install people who, in their view, will more aggressively implement his agenda.

But many others at the senior levels of Trump's government are sounding alarms about the loss of expertise and institutional knowledge, as well as unnecessary controversy.

McEntee has appointed at least three college seniors to administration posts well beyond their experience, as Politico has reported. He's also approved controversial hires that have brought about internal complaints at several agencies.

A new McEntee appointee to the United States' foreign aid agency, Merritt Corrigan, is an illustrative example.

Two sources with direct knowledge said that before McEntee took over, Trump's PPO had blocked Corrigan for an administration role specifically because their research quickly found she had a history of making anti-gay statements. But McEntee pushed her through.

Corrigan has since attracted media attention for her past public statements, including her complaints about America's businesses being oppressed by a "homo-empire."

Corrigan's and other recent controversial hires at USAID have sparked such an uproar from staff inside the agency that acting Administrator John Barsa felt compelled to issue a statement defending the new appointees.

In response to this reporting, White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews said in a statement: "John McEntee is an invaluable member of the White House and he's been doing an excellent job leading the critical Presidential Personnel Office which is responsible for staffing up hundreds of political jobs across the federal agencies." The Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon and the Office of Personnel Management did not respond to requests for comment.

In response to Axios' questions about USAID's recent controversial hires, acting spokeswoman Pooja Jhunjhunwala said: "USAID has the finest workforce in the federal government, and we stand by the professionalism of our employees."

"While I cannot speak directly to any of the specific cases or allegations due to privacy concerns, let me be clear: there is a zero tolerance policy of any form of discrimination or harassment based on gender, race, sexual orientation, religion or any other possible distinguishing characteristic..."

Between the lines: McEntee tests job seekers' loyalty to Trump in informal conversations, and he has formalized this emphasis in a new "research questionnaire."

Axios has obtained McEntee's questionnaire for potential political appointees. CNN first reported the existence of the document.

One question on the form: "What part of Candidate Trump's campaign message most appealed to you and why?"

We've uploaded the previous version of the questionnaire and McEntee's new version:

How it works: Top personnel officials from previous administrations say they looked for people who supported their presidents' agendas and avoided candidates with the potential to publicly criticize or embarrass the president. But they said McEntee’s heavy emphasis on loyalty over experience is unusual.

Rudy Mehrbani, the director of President Obama's Presidential Personnel Office, said of the new McEntee questionnaire: "We never used a form like this one — designed to test a candidate's fealty to the president and his ideology —when I was at PPO. As I've written and said elsewhere, these questions provide further proof that this iteration of PPO prioritizes loyalty to Trump over quality and competence."

A former senior official in President George W. Bush's PPO said: "I would venture to say we placed a much bigger emphasis on experience and qualifications than this White House appears to be doing." 

"All nominees need to be supportive of the president, but you also need experience," the former Bush official added. "And when the people selecting don't have the experience to vet candidates, you have a problem."

The bottom line: A senior administration official said his concern about McEntee's modus operandi is that "there's no way that PPO can ever be in a position to assess if an appointee is professionally qualified to fill a role — the subject matters are too varied and there are internal politics at play in the departments."

"PPO needs to work with the Cabinet secretaries and not against them," the official said. "Otherwise you're going to end up with sidelined ideologues in all of the senior positions, and the secretaries will rely on career leadership."

Another senior official said of PPO: "The problem I have with them is the effort to get rid of current, competent people who have been serving the president for three years, and replace them with unqualified individuals because of a perceived loyalty interest.

"It makes no sense, because if you're in this administration as a political appointee serving this president you're doing it at great personal and professional expense and cost to credibility."

Scoop: Trump's loyalty cop clashes with agency heads

Trump has empowered John McEntee, director of the Presidential Personnel Office, in a way his predecessors never were.

Photo illustration of John McEntee and excerpts from the PPO questionnaire. 

Photo Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Politics

Inside the White House

Donald Trump

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Tulsa City-County Health Department director Bruce Dart told Tulsa World in an interview that he wishes President Trump would postpone his campaign rally on June 20, citing a "significant increase" in coronavirus case trends that could put both the public and Trump himself at risk.

The big picture: Dart's concerns have been echoed by public health experts who say hosting large crowds in an indoor venue without a requirement for face masks could prove to be dangerous. Trump's campaign has informed attendees that the president cannot be held liable if they contract COVID-19.

Multiple states are reporting new daily records of coronavirus hospitalizations as much of the country continues to reopen. 

Tulsa County’s seven-day rolling average has risen from 24.9 cases on June 7 to 51.4 on June 12, according to Tulsa World.

What they're saying: “I think it’s an honor for Tulsa to have a sitting president want to come and visit our community, but not during a pandemic. I’m concerned about our ability to protect anyone who attends a large, indoor event, and I’m also concerned about our ability to ensure the president stays safe as well," Dart said.

“COVID is here in Tulsa, it is transmitting very efficiently. I wish we could postpone this to a time when the virus isn’t as large a concern as it is today.”

“People are not staying home now, they’re out and about. I completely understand that, staying closed just wasn’t feasible economically and from an emotional, physical perspective. So if we’re going to be out, we shouldn’t be in enclosed spaces and we shouldn’t have extended contact with other people because that’s where the risk lies.”

“A large indoor rally with 19-20,000 people is a huge risk factor today in Tulsa, Oklahoma ... I want to make sure we can keep everyone in that building safe, including the president.”

Go deeper: Trump pushes rally date originally set for Juneteenth amid pressure

Tulsa health director says he wishes Trump would postpone rally

“COVID is here in Tulsa, it is transmitting very efficiently."

A Trump rally in 2018. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Health Care

Oklahoma

Coronavirus

The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

Face The Nation-10 37 20 Am - 10 39 23 Am-2020-06-14

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that ending qualified immunity for police officers is "off the table" for Republicans, and that "any poison pill in legislation means we get nothing done." 

Why it matters: Ending “qualified immunity,” a legal doctrine that makes it all but impossible to successfully sue police officers, is one of several policy proposals that has gained traction on the left.

Scott has been tasked with spearheading Senate Republicans' reform proposal. He told CBS' Margaret Brennan that his legislation will focus on increasing information sharing, reforming training and tactics to prioritize de-escalation, and changing how departments deal with officer misconduct.

Scott said he's interested in de-certification of officers who engage in misconduct, but said that police unions are opposed to that idea and it's unlikely to get support from the left.

"From the Republican perspective and the president sent the signal that qualified immunity is off the table. They see that as a poison pill on our side. We could use a de-certification of officer, except for the law enforcement unions say that's a poison pill. So we're going to have to find a path that helps us reduce misconduct within the officers. But at the same time, we know that any poison pill in legislation means we get nothing done. That sends the wrong signal, perhaps the worst signal, right now in America. I think we're going to have legislation that can be negotiated, that gets us to the place where something becomes law that actually makes a difference. That's got to be our goal. 

The big picture: House Democrats have introduced a sweeping police reform package that includes proposals like banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants and removing qualified immunity for police officers.

The "Justice in Policing Act of 2020" aims to broaden police accountability by tracking "problematic" officers through a national misconduct registry for officers over actions in the field.

The other side: Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) later told "Face the Nation" that he's spoken to Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and that ending qualified immunity is still "on the table."

Go deeper: The policies that could help fix policing

Tim Scott: Ending qualified immunity is a "poison pill" for Republicans

Scott has been tasked with spearheading Senate Republicans' reform proposal.

Officer-involved shootings

Race and Equity

Axios AM

A white Atlanta police officer was fired after fatally shooting Rayshard Brooks, 27, an African American father, following a seconds-long chase in a Wendy’s parking late Friday night, prompting the police chief's quick resignation. 

The context, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The shooting further inflamed tensions over police use of force and racial injustice." The death was the 48th officer-involved shooting the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been asked to investigate this year, per the AJC.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms called for the officer's immediate firing: "I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force."

19 hours after the shooting, Police Chief Erika Shields resigned.

The Wendy's turned into an inferno last night, live on cable news.

The restaurant, surrounded by an estimated 1,000 protesters, caught fire after protesters broke windows and threw fireworks inside, the AJC reports.

As CNN showed chopper views from local stations, Wolf Blitzer pointed out that no firefighters were in sight. Roads were closed because of demonstrations, and fire officials said the crowd posed a danger.

Bodycam video shows Rayshard Brooks speaking with Officer Garrett Rolfe, who was fired after the shooting, in the Wendy's parking lot late Friday. Photo: Atlanta P.D. via AP

What happened ... Police went to Wendy’s at about 10:30 p.m. Friday, after a complaint about a man sleeping in a car blocking the drive-thru, the AJC reports: 

Police said Rayshard Brooks failed a field sobriety test. A struggle broke out as officers tried to arrest him. 

Police tried to tase the man, who grabbed the stun gun and ran. Officers chased him.

On surveillance video posted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the man turns back to the officer, and may have fired the taser.

 L. Chris Stewart, attorney for the family of Rayshard Brooks, told CNN: 

"Why not talk to him as a human being and say: 'Hey, buddy, maybe you had too much to drink. Leave your car here. Take Uber'? Instead, they got physical." 

What they're saying ... Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) told Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union": "You've got to restructure our judicial system. Restructure our health care system. Restructure our educational system."

Stacey Abrams told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week": "A man was murdered because he was asleep in a drive-thru."

YouTube of the surveillance video. (Chase begins 28:32.) 

Atlanta officer fired, chief resigns, Wendy's torched after fatal shooting

It was the 48th officer-involved shooting the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been asked to investigate this year.

Flames engulf Wendy's. Photo: Brynn Anderson/AP

Rayshard Brooks

State Of The Union With Jake Tapper-9 32 10 Am - 9 35 31 Am-2020-06-14

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the Minneapolis City Council's decision to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department as it currently exists does not mean that nothing will take its place to ensure the community is kept safe and crimes are investigated.

Why it matters: Critics of the idea of defunding or abolishing police departments, including President Trump, have characterized the move as radical and dangerous. Omar argues that coverage of Minneapolis' decision has been misleading, and that the city's policing infrastructure must be reinvented "because you can't really reform a department that is rotten to the root."

"A new way forward can't be put in place if we have a department that is having a crisis of credibility, if we have a department that's led by a chief who's suited for racism, if we have a department that hasn't solved homicide — half of the homicides in Minneapolis police department go unsolved. There have been cases where they've destroyed rape kits. And so you can't really reform a department that is rotten to the root. What you can do is rebuild.

And so this is our opportunity, as a city, to come together, have the conversation of what public safety looks like, who enforces the most dangerous crimes that take place in our community, and just like San Francisco did — right now, they're moving towards a process where there is a separation of the kind of crimes that solicit the help of, you know, officers, and the kind of crimes that we should have someone else respond to."

Ilhan Omar defends idea of dismantling Minneapolis Police Department

"You can't really reform a department that is rotten to the root. What you can do is rebuild."

Axios

Sunday's top stories

Scoop: Trump's loyalty cop clashes with agency heads

Tulsa health director says he wishes Trump would postpone rally

Tim Scott: Ending qualified immunity is a "poison pill" for Republicans

Atlanta officer fired, chief resigns, Wendy's torched after fatal shooting

Ilhan Omar defends idea of dismantling Minneapolis Police Department

Kudlow: No one promised to name businesses that received PPP loans

James Clyburn: "Nobody is going to defund the police"

Coronavirus fraud is everywhere

Atlanta police chief resigns after black man is shot by police

Fox News removes altered images from Seattle protest