Category: Flash News

On February 15th, the Trump administration laid off 1300 people at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, downsizing this public health institution to cut costs for the entire federal government. According to informed sources, the number of layoffs this time accounts for about 10% of the total number of employees at the CDC, mainly targeting probationary employees who have served for two years or less. This is one of the first measures taken by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after he was sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services on Thursday, which oversees the Atlanta based CDC. It is not yet clear which departments of the institution have been affected by layoffs. But the CDC is working hard to track and contain various diseases, especially the outbreak of avian influenza. Nearly 70 people have been infected with avian influenza in the United States, and 1 person has died.

On February 15th, Morgan Stanley economists Michael Feroli and Abiel Reinhart predicted that almost all expiring Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions will be extended due to Republican control of Congress in the United States. The JPMorgan team wrote that Trump may also strive to fulfill his campaign promises by ending tips and overtime taxes. Overall, by 2035, the extension of TCJA will increase the US federal debt by approximately $4 trillion to $5 trillion. They estimate that other tax reduction measures, such as removing tips, overtime pay, and social security benefits from taxes, could increase debt by $1 trillion to $6 trillion. They found that even new high tariffs may not be enough to offset the deterioration caused by the extension of TCJA.

On February 15th, the usage of overnight reverse repo (RRP) agreements by the Federal Reserve further declined on Friday, reaching its lowest level in nearly four years. On Friday, about 22 counterparties deposited $58.8 billion in RRP form, the lowest since April 2021, compared to $67.8 billion on the previous trading day. The number of competitors has also reached its lowest level since May 2020.

On February 15th, Ukrainian President Zelensky met with US Vice President Vance in Munich, Germany. Zelensky stated during the meeting that Ukraine hopes to strengthen cooperation with US President Trump’s team to develop a plan with reliable security guarantees. Wan Si said that both sides had a “good dialogue” on ending the conflict. Vance said that the goal of the United States is to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine, and the US does not want conflicts to occur in Europe in a few years. It is reported that US Secretary of State Rubio and US government special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, participated in the meeting together.

On February 15, when attending the Munich Security Conference on the 14th, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that once Ukraine and the United States and Europe reached an agreement on how to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he would be ready to hold direct talks with Russia. Zelensky said that Ukraine is ready to engage in any dialogue with the United States and its allies. If the US and Europe provide specific responses to Ukraine’s demands, based on consensus, “we will be prepared to engage in dialogue with Russia.

On February 15th, German President Steinmeier pointed out in his opening speech at the Munich Security Conference on February 14th that the current US government has a different understanding of the world than us, and they “ignore existing rules, partnerships, and mutual trust.” Steinmeier said that we cannot change this and can only accept and continue to deal with it. But Steinmeier also emphasized that Europe will not become a “deer scared under the headlights”, and Europe should strengthen its own cooperation and unity.

On February 15th, US Defense Secretary Hercules stated at NATO headquarters in Brussels that Europe should take primary responsibility for the defense of the European continent. Heggese also quoted former US President Eisenhower’s complaint about insufficient defense spending in Europe, saying that Europe has turned the United States from “Uncle Sam” to “Uncle Stupid,” but “President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Stupid.” US President Trump had previously demanded that NATO countries increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product. Several European politicians have stated that increasing military spending is “unacceptable”.

On February 15th, European stocks closed with mixed gains and losses, with the German DAX 30 index falling 0.44% to 22513.42 points, ending four consecutive gains and rising 3.33% this week. The FTSE 100 index in the UK fell 0.37% to 8732.46 points; The French CAC40 index rose 0.18% to 8178.54 points.

On February 15th, the Office of the Inspector General of the US Treasury Department announced on February 14th local time that it is conducting an audit of the security controls of the federal government payment system, including the access of the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) team led by Musk to the federal government payment system. It is reported that the audit will also examine the transactions of the system over the past two years, as they are related to what Musk called “suspected fraudulent payments”.

On February 14th, scientists from Lancaster University in the UK and Japan Telegraph and Telephone Company confirmed for the first time that negative refraction can be achieved using an atomic array without relying on artificially manufactured “metamaterials”. This discovery paves the way for the development of superlenses and new stealth devices. The relevant paper was published in the journal Nature Communications on the 12th.