The Trump administration's plan to make it easier to fire federal workers is set to take effect on March 9, 2026, according to a final rule issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This move, which could impact an unspecified number of federal employees, will convert them into at-will employees at the discretion of the former President, despite significant public opposition.
The announcement comes amidst a flurry of other significant developments. Congress passed a $50 billion foreign aid bill, restoring funding that had been cut in 2025. Additionally, the rise of AI continues to reshape various sectors, including clinical trials, as highlighted by Time, with AI companies like Formation Bio working to accelerate the process. Simultaneously, the EU is mandating TikTok to modify its "addictive design" due to safety violations, and Roblox has implemented mandatory facial verification for chat access, according to Vox.
The OPM's rule change, unveiled in October 2020, aimed to grant Trump the power to dismiss civil servants for any reason. This plan, which has now come to fruition, has raised concerns about the potential for politicization of the federal workforce. "It's about to get easier for Trump to fire federal workers," according to NPR News.
The impact of AI is also being felt in the pharmaceutical industry. Ben Liu, CEO of Formation Bio, noted that the biggest bottleneck in bringing new medicine to patients is the running of clinical trials, which can take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, as reported by Time.
Other news includes Hollywood job security concerns, a film rights acquisition, and changes in federal employee firing rules, alongside executive appointments at PayPal and Netflix's defense of its strategies, according to Variety. The news also highlights a politicized fraud investigation in Minnesota, contrasted with a tech-focused fraud prevention initiative. Cybersecurity research revealed a sophisticated cloud attack chain targeting developer credentials for cryptocurrency theft.
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