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As shutdown looms, Democrats bring fired federal workers to hear Trump’s speech

March 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A potential government shutdown looms large as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night — where he’s sure to face a divided audience following his sustained effort to slash the U.S. bureaucracy.

Top Congressional leaders have not yet struck a deal to keep the lights on in the nation’s capital ahead of the March 14 deadline to fund the federal government — and time is running short.

As Democrats look to defend civil servants from mass firings, its leaders have pushed for language to be inserted in a government funding bill to ensure the Trump administration properly directs funds appropriated by Congress, an effort to push back against Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency efforts.

But Republicans have made clear they won’t accept those demands — calling them unprecedented.

To illustrate the gargantuan gulf between them, many Democrats are bringing recently fired federal workers to attend Trump’s address to showcase the impact of Musk’s slashing of federal agencies.

Of his five guests, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., invited two fired federal workers, including a USAID worker and a disabled Army veteran.

Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona invited Kyle Rahn, a disabled Army veteran who served three tours in Iraq before working at the Department of Homeland Security, from which he was fired last month.

Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois invited Adam Mulvey, a 20-year Army veteran who served several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and was fired from his role at Lovell Federal Health Care Center in Spring Grove, Illinois, on Feb. 13.

House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested that DOGE cuts should be part of fiscal 2026 government funding negotiations — kicking the proverbial can to another year.

But the speaker said the GOP-controlled House is eyeing a short-term clean government funding bill that would extend current spending levels through the end of September 2025, but the specifics of his strategy remain unclear.

A short-term measure would “make sure that the government can stay open while we begin to incorporate all these savings that we’re finding through the DOGE effort and these other sources of revenue that President Trump’s policies are — bringing to the table,” Johnson argued on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

Trump endorsed this plan last week, calling for a clean continuing resolution — even as hardline Republicans pressure Johnson not to band together again on a bipartisan bill with Democrats, who aren’t inclined to help Trump with anything.

Some Republicans have already raised concerns, including Texas GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales, who says he is a no vote on any continuing resolution.

“I am a NO on the CR. Congress needs to do its job and pass a conservative budget! CR’s are code for Continued Rubberstamp of fraud, waste, and abuse,” Gonzales posted on X.

Nebraska moderate GOP Rep. Don Bacon raised concern about a clean measure since military funding would be held flat.

“A continuing resolution (CR) is bad for our military and weakens our national security. A CR means new weapons programs cannot get started. A year-long CR means we are not serious about building a military that will deter China, Russia and Iran,” Bacon said on X.

Johnson can only afford to lose one Republican if all members are present and vote and will almost certainly need to rely on Democratic votes to avert a shutdown. Eighty-two Republicans voted against the current 3-month funding measure that’s set to expire in less than two weeks, illustrating the patently obvious need for bipartisanship on the brink of a shutdown.

Meanwhile, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Republicans of walking away from negotiations — rejecting the speaker’s characterization of the situation.

“House Democrats are committed to funding the government in a manner that promotes the economic well-being, health and safety of everyday Americans,” Jeffries said in a statement Sunday.

Who is Elissa Slotkin, who’s giving Democrats’ response to Trump’s address to Congress?

March 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump will deliver a joint address to Congress on Tuesday evening during which he’ll no doubt try to highlight the ways he is delivering on the “mandate” that he and Republicans say they were given by Americans during the 2024 election.

Democrats hope to have a response to that from one of the Senate’s newest initiates: Michigan freshmen Elissa Slotkin.

Slotkin made her name during her six years serving in the House of Representatives as a moderate unafraid to, at times, challenge her party’s conventions. She has promised a rebuttal to Trump’s speech focused on economic and national security.

“I’m looking forward to speaking directly to the American people next week. The public expects leaders to level with them on what’s actually happening in our country,” Slotkin said in a statement announcing her speech last week. “From our economic security to our national security, we’ve got to chart a way forward that actually improves people’s lives in the country we all love, and I’m looking forward to laying that out.”

She is also expected to take on Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government. Democrats have invited a number of fired federal workers as their guests for the speech.

Slotkin’s guest will be Andrew Lennox, who served as a Marine in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria and was fired from his job with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

“You spend 10 years trying to defend your country in terms of honesty, integrity, and justice and then you come back and get copy and pasted the same email as 10,000 other people about performance,” Lennox told ABC News.

Slotkin’s speech comes as Democrats look to collect themselves after a punishing 2024 campaign cycle that saw Trump handily defeat then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House. Democrats didn’t fare much better down ballot, losing control of the Senate and failing to recapture the House.

As Democratic leadership tries to zero in on a new strategy to reach moderate voters, they’re looking to beam the spotlight onto Slotkin, who pulled off a narrow win in purple Michigan this November, beating Republican nominee Mike Rogers, who had served seven terms in the House, in a race for the state’s open Senate seat, even as Trump won Michigan by 80,000 votes.

Her focus on reproductive rights and economic issues like lowering costs for families, coupled with her track record in the House, helped her eke out a narrow victory in the Senate race. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took notice in selecting her to deliver the Democrats’ response.

Schumer called Slotkin a “rising star” of the Democratic Party.

“As you know, Elissa is a rising star in our party. The American people are going to love what she has to say. She’s just great — on both economic and national security. I’m excited, I think we’re all excited,” Schumer said following the formal announcement that Slotkin would deliver the response to Trump.

Slotkin is a former CIA agent who worked as a Middle East analyst. She served three tours in Iraq in this role. She then worked at the White House and Pentagon during the Bush and Obama administrations before launching a bid for the House.

She won her seat in the House of Representatives in 2018, ousting a two-term GOP incumbent. During her tenure, she flexed her national security bona fides, serving on the Armed Services, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs committee.

During her time in the House, Slotkin was consistently ranked among the most bipartisan members of the chamber. She occasionally voted across party lines and, in her earliest votes in the Senate, demonstrated a willingness to continue that bipartisan streak. She was one of 12 Democrats who voted in favor of the Republican-led Laken Riley Act earlier this year, helping to send the bill to Trump’s desk.

Trump will face dozens of fired bureaucrats at joint address Tuesday

March 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — At his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday, President Donald Trump is expected to face dozens of civil servants fired from their positions across the executive branch as congressional Democrats make a concerted effort to bring terminated bureaucrats as their guests.

Of his five guests, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., invited two fired federal workers, including a USAID worker and a disabled Army veteran.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who will deliver the Democratic response to Trump’s address, is bringing Andrew Lennox, who was fired from his administrative position at the Department of Veterans Affairs last month without notice. Lennox served as a Marine in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.

The dynamic is sure to create tension in the chamber as the president looks to highlight his administration’s actions over his first 44 days in office.

While ABC News has confirmed that Elon Musk, who Trump has empowered to slash the federal workforce and budgets, is expected to attend, it’s not yet known whether he’s a guest of the first lady or a member of Congress or the precise circumstances of his attendance.

Several lawmakers are also bringing guests related to the Israel-Hamas war, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has invited Noa Argamani, who was released by Hamas after 245 days in captivity. Schumer also invited Orna Neutra, whose daughter Omer was killed in captivity by Hamas.

Iowa Republican Rep. Mary Miller-Meeks is bringing Riley Gains, the former All-American swimmer at the University of Kentucky who has been at the forefront of the effort to defend women’s sports and advocate for policies that protect female athletes.

Some Democrats are opting to invited constituents who rely on Medicaid and are worried that the GOP’s budget reconciliation plans could impact their benefits. There also appear to be a significant group of farmers invited to attend the address.

Arsonist sets fire to Tesla charging stations: Police

March 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LITTLETON, MA) — Police in Massachusetts are investigating fires that appear to have been “intentionally set” that destroyed seven Tesla charging stations, police said.

The fires were first reported at approximately 1:10 a.m. on Monday morning when the Littleton Police Department in Massachusetts were dispatched to The Point Shopping Center due to reports of several fires at the Tesla charging stations there, according to a statement from the Littleton Police Department.

“Chief Matthew Pinard reports that the Littleton Police Department responded to and is investigating fires at a Tesla charging station at The Point Shopping Center that are believed to be suspicious in nature,” authorities said. “Responding officers observed that several Tesla charging stations were engulfed in flames and heavy, dark smoke.”

Police said that the Littleton Electric Light & Water Department was immediately contacted and requested to shut down power but that while waiting for the electric department to arrive, another charging station caught fire.

In total, seven charging stations sustained heavy fire-related damage, police said.

Once the fires were extinguished and the electric supply was cut off, officers launched a preliminary investigation and determined that the fires appear to have been deliberately set.

“Littleton Police and Fire Departments and the Massachusetts State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating and have determined that the fire appears to have been intentionally set,” police said.

No injuries were sustained in the fires, according to police, but authorities said that this case falls under the Arson Watch Reward Program, coordinated by the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association.

“The program offers rewards of up to $5,000 for information that solves, prevents, or detects arson crimes,” police said.

Just last week in a separate incident, a woman in Colorado was arrested after police caught her with explosives at a Tesla dealership, police said.

The 40-year-old suspect, Lucy Grace Nelson, was arrested on Feb. 25 after the Loveland Police Department in Colorado launched an “extensive investigation” on Jan. 29 following a series of vandalizations with incendiary devices at the Tesla Dealership in Loveland, Colorado, according to a statement from the police released last Wednesday.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, and his company have faced backlash since he has taken a central role in the White House as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.

Over the weekend, demonstrators around the United States gathered at Tesla showrooms to protest Musk and his sweeping cuts of federal spending that has led to mass layoffs of federal workers in Washington, D.C. and beyond.

The investigation into the Littleton Tesla charging station fires is currently ongoing.

Families of captured North Korean troops ‘will be executed,’ former Pyongyang soldier tells ABC News

March 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(SEOUL) — A former sergeant in the North Korean military says that few of Pyongyang’s soldiers have been captured fighting against Ukraine because they’re told their families will be executed if they are caught alive.

“Most soldiers will kill themselves before they’re killed by the enemy, it’s the biggest shame to be captured,” the former soldier, Ryu Seong-hyeon, told ABC News.

Ryu defected to South Korea in 2019, running across a minefield in the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas.

Pyongyang has deployed more than 12,000 soldiers to Russia to fight in the Ukraine war, according to US estimates, with experts claiming Russian forces have also used North Korean weapons.

An estimated 300 North Korean soldiers have died in the fighting, and over 2,700 have been wounded, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in a closed briefing last week.

Pyongyang has deployed more than 12,000 soldiers to Russia to fight in the Ukraine war, according to US estimates, with experts claiming Russian forces have also used North Korean weapons.

An estimated 300 North Korean soldiers have died in the fighting, and over 2,700 have been wounded, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in a closed briefing last week.

South Korea’s spy agency told journalists Thursday that an unknown number of additional North Korean soldiers have been sent to the frontlines in Russia’s western Kursk region since early February, after a near month-long lull in fighting against Ukrainian troops, who launched a surprise offensive across the border last August.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in January that his forces had captured two North Korean soldiers, marking the first time that Ukraine had captured Pyongyang’s troops alive.

In a nearly 3-minute video released by Ukraine following the capture of the two North Korean troops, one of the soldiers says he wants to remain in Ukraine when asked if he wishes to return home. The Korean translator asks, “Did you know you were fighting in a war against Ukraine?” The soldier shakes his head.

South Korean intelligence assessed that the two soldiers were with the Reconnaissance General Bureau, a key North Korean military intelligence agency.

“If the soldiers are captured and tell information to the enemy, their families will be punished, go to a political prison camp, or worse, they will be executed in front of the people,” said another North Korean defector, Pak Yusung.

‘They just die like a dog’

Pyongyang’s soldiers have struggled to adapt to the modern battlefield, the North Korean defectors suggested, as videos released by the Ukrainian military appear to show North Korean soldiers being chased down by attack drones.

Ryu and Pak defected long before the fighting that’s underway in Russia, but they said that, in their experience, most of the soldiers would not have seen a drone in their life.

“Before they go they don’t have any practice in how to defend against a drone or how to fight Ukrainians, that’s why they just die like a dog,” Ryu said. “They don’t have the skill, the language or the information.”

Pak and Ryu’s analysis lines up with information released by South Korean intelligence, which said North Korea has clearly instructed the soldiers to kill themselves to avoid being captured alive.

Seoul’s spy agency also said it attributes the “massive casualties” of North Korean soldiers to their “lack of understanding of modern warfare,” including their “useless” act of shooting at long-range drones, based on the agency’s analysis of a recent combat video.

Ryu, who was about 110 lbs. at the time of his defection, said if he were still a North Korean soldier, he would also want to go: “If I went to Ukraine, I could eat food, and I could see another country.” He said there are also big financial incentives, and the soldiers would have no idea that their chances of dying were so high.

Selling lies

Ryu and Pak said North Korean soldiers were being sold a lie. “From a young age they’re told to hate the American ‘wolves’, and now they are told they are finally killing Americans,” the defectors said.

Ryu said in his experience with the Korean air force, about 50% of the pilots were only trained in theory, and did not have experience flying a fighter jet.

Pak, who is a researcher at the North Korea Institute, said Kim would be receiving critical technology in exchange for the manpower, in what should be a deeply worrying sign for the world, Kim also gets more real combat experience in case of a war on the peninsula.

“If Russia wins the war, it will empower the dictator alliance,” Pak said.

“This is just the start. If the Ukraine war keeps going, Kim will keep sending soldiers. Inside North Korea more people will start knowing and that could be a threat to Kim.”

When asked what they could possibly do about it when living in a dictatorship controlled by fear, Pak said, “Think about it: your sons died on the battlefield and not for your own country.”

Ryu added, “You cannot send so many people to the labor camps.”

Pak and his team of four North Korean defectors, Voices of North Korean Youth, have been trying to push the international community to condemn Russia and North Korea with one voice, and also called for the International Criminal Court to hold Kim Jong Un accountable.

ABC News’ Karson Yiu contributed to this report.

Pope Francis ‘slept all night’ after Monday’s acute respiratory failure, Vatican says

March 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(ROME) — Pope Francis “slept all night” following Monday’s medical intervention amid two episodes of “acute respiratory failure,” the Vatican said Tuesday.

“The pope slept all night, now he continues his rest,” the Holy See, the Vatican’s press office, said in a brief update.

The episodes on Monday were caused by a “significant accumulation of endobronchial mucus and consequent bronchospasm,” the Vatican said.

According to doctors, acute respiratory failure indicates the pope was not responding to oxygen therapy. Endobronchial mucus means there is mucus and fluid in the deep parts of the lung or lungs, causing a bronchospasm, also known as a coughing attack, doctors said.

The pope’s prognosis “remains reserved,” the Vatican said in its Monday evening update.

Francis, who has led the Catholic Church since 2013, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 and was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff had a bronchospasm attack on Friday, church officials said.

ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Trump directs administration to ‘pause’ military aid to Ukraine

March 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump directed his administration to “pause” military aid to Ukraine after the contentious Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Feb. 28, two White House officials told ABC News.

A White House official said Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace and added, “We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”

The move came hours after Trump told ABC News that Zelenskyy needed to be “more appreciative.”

Senior Politics Correspondent Rachel Scott asked Trump on Tuesday: “What do you need to see from President Zelenskyy to restart these negotiations?”

“Well, I just think he should be more appreciative because this country has stuck with them through thick and thin,” the president responded.

It’s difficult to know exactly how the pause could impact the flow of previously granted aid.

In the last few months of former President Joe Biden’s administration, it announced four Presidential Drawdown Authority packages to Ukraine.

The packages totaled $3 billion in weapons from the Pentagon’s inventory, and they were meant to be provided to Ukraine as quickly as possible following the announcements in December and January.

About 90% of arms committed to Ukraine by past PDA packages have already been delivered to the country, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

That includes the vast majority of critical munitions and anti-armor systems, they say, adding that most of the what’s left to go through the pipeline are armored vehicles that take longer to refurbish, with all PDA equipment previously on track for delivery by August 2025.

However, a steady flow of arms is still set to move from the U.S. to Ukraine for at least the next several years due contracts Kyiv signed with private American companies for newly produced weapons. Many if not most of those contracts have been paid.

The Trump administration could still attempt to disrupt those shipments through the use of emergency authorities, but there’s no indication it is trying to do that at present.

Additionally, there is still a chance for negotiations to resume between the U.S. and Ukraine, as Vice President JD Vance implied during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” on Monday.

Vance was asked if the administration would welcome Zelenskyy back if he were willing to come back to the negotiating table. Vance said yes — if Zelenskyy were willing to “engage seriously.”

“I think that if he called and had a serious proposal for how he was going to engage in the process — look, there are details that really matter, that we’re already working on with the Russians,” Vance said.

“He needs to engage seriously on the details,” he added, though it was unclear if he was strictly referring to the raw minerals deal that the U.S. is pursuing with Ukraine, land concessions or other details that may be impacting negotiations.

“I think once that happens, then absolutely, we want to talk,” the vice president said.

Also in dispute is the amount of aid that the U.S. has already given Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly claimed, inaccurately, that the United States has spent some $350 billion toward Ukraine, while other sources put the figure well under $200 billion, including bilateral aid.

ABC News’ Shannon Kingston, Luis Martinez and T. Michelle Murphy contributed to this report.

Scorpion stings woman at Boston baggage claim as she picked up luggage after flight from Mexico

March 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(BOSTON) — A passenger at Boston Logan was stung by a scorpion while retrieving her luggage in the baggage claim area of customs, according to police.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Sunday evening while she was at Logan Airport Terminal E picking up her bags after flying back from Mexico when she was suddenly stung on her finger by a scorpion, according to statements from the Massachusetts State Police and Boston EMS.

She was taken to a nearby hospital for immediate treatment, according to the police and Boston EMS.

Authorities did not immediately disclose her condition following the sting and it is unclear how the scorpion ended up on her bag at the airport.

“While most scorpion stings are not serious, medical attention may be needed for pain management and wound care, including preventive tetanus vaccine,” according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. “Young children may be more likely to develop neurologic symptoms and need urgent treatment.”

Scorpions are not typically found in the Boston area but over 2,000 species of the predatory arachnids exist worldwide, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“Scorpions can be found on every continent except Antarctica but are most commonly seen in subtropical and tropical areas of the world,” the CDC says. “Scorpion stings often cause intense pain and redness, but venom from some species can cause severe illness, affecting the heart, nervous system, and other organs. Manifestations include agitation, arrhythmias, bleeding and other coagulation disorders, pancreatitis, uncontrollable muscle spasms, shock, and even death.”

Jay-Z files defamation lawsuit against former accuser, her attorneys

March 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES) — Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter filed a defamation suit Monday against an Alabama woman who claimed he raped her when she was 13 in a since-withdrawn civil lawsuit.

Carter’s lawsuit said the woman, identified as Jane Doe, timed her claim “to inflict maximum pain and suffering on Mr. Carter” to extort payments from him.

The lawsuit also named the woman’s attorneys, Tony Buzbee and David Fortney, whom Jay-Z alleged “were soullessly motivated by greed, in abject disregard of the truth and the most fundamental precepts of human decency.”

The woman initially claimed that Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs took turns sexually assaulting her when she was 13 at a party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Both men denied the allegation.

Jane Doe withdrew her lawsuit last month after Carter raised questions about the veracity of her account and his attorney sought sanctions against Buzbee.

“Doe has now voluntarily admitted directly to representatives of Mr. Carter that the story brought before the world in court and on global television was just that: a false, malicious story. She has admitted that Mr. Carter did not assault her; and that indeed it was Buzbee himself … who pushed her to go forward with the false narrative of the assault by Mr. Carter in order to leverage a maximum payday,” Carter’s defamation lawsuit said.

“But the extortion and abuse of Mr. Carter by Doe and her lawyers must stop,” it continued.

In response, Buzbee released a statement saying, “Shawn Carter’s investigators have repeatedly harassed, threatened and harangued this poor woman for weeks trying to intimidate her and make her recant her story. She hasn’t, and won’t. Instead she has stated repeatedly she stands by her claims. These same group of investigators have been caught on tape offering to pay people to sue me and my firm. After speaking with Jane Doe today, it appears that the quotes attributed to her in the lawsuit are completely made up, or they spoke to someone who isn’t Jane Doe.”

He added, “This is just another attempt to intimidate and bully this poor woman that we will deal with in due course. We won’t be bullied or intimidated by frivolous cases.”

ABC News’ Jennifer Leong contributed to this report.

DOGE says it’s saved $105 billion, though it’s backtracked on some of its earlier claims

March 4, 2025 by WDNY Radio

DOGE says it’s saved 5 billion, though it’s backtracked on some of its earlier claims

DOGE says it’s saved $105 billion, though it’s backtracked on some of its earlier claims — Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The website of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency provided its third weekly update of federal government cost-cutting Sunday night, claiming total government savings of $105 billion, up from the $65 billion it claimed in last week’s update — but the figure remains unverifiable as the site still says it’s posted only a fraction of the receipts supporting this total.

In its latest update to its “Savings” page, DOGE continued to update — and in some cases delete — contracts that it had previously listed as having saved up to billions of dollars in federal funds, after media outlets, experts and others publicly questioned details of the contracts.

In all, DOGE listed a total of 2,334 canceled contracts on its latest “Wall of Receipts,” with the savings from those contracts amounting to $8.8 billion.

The amount is actually lower than the $9.6 billion in claimed savings from 2,299 contracts posted on its “Wall of Receipts” last week, reflecting the difficulty in pinpointing exactly what DOGE is cutting and by how much.

Similar to last week, DOGE claims in this week’s update that the $105 billion figure is based on a “combination of asset sales, contract/lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings, and workforce reductions.”

The site, however, only provides receipts for a fraction of that number. In addition to the $8.8 billion alleged savings in canceled contracts, the new data on the site lists $660 million worth of real estate leases under the GSA that were canceled, and, for the first time, it lists federal government grants that have been terminated, totaling $10.3 billion.

Among the contracts that have been deleted from DOGE’s latest “Wall of Receipts” is the biggest contract it had listed as having canceled last week: a seven-year blanket purchase agreement from the IRS with $1.9 billion cap for “IT strategy and modernization.”

The website removed this contract from its “Wall of Receipts” after the vendor, financial management and IT company Centennial Technologies, told the New York Times last month that the contract was actually canceled last fall, under the Biden administration.

The previous week, DOGE had to revise down its largest claimed savings contract from $8 billion to $8 million after the contract’s vendor explained that the $8 billion listed on it procurement record was likely a clerical error.

Another contract that was removed from DOGE’s “Wall of Receipts” in the latest updated was a five-year $150 million USAID contract under the Asia Futures Activity initiative, aimed at serving the USAID’s Asia Bureau to solve “interconnected challenges of economic growth, democratic governance, and resilience in the face of increasing health, climate, and food security threats.”

Representatives for the Cadmus Group, which had received that contract, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

DOGE also deleted from its latest “Wall of Receipts” what appeared to be a $149 million National Institute of Health contract awarded to software company Advanced Automation Technologies.

Last week, the DOGE website listing that contract linked to a different NIH contract for leasing and maintaining refrigerated gas tanks. An NIH contract with Advanced Automation Technologies that shares the same contract ID is capped at just $1.4 million — not the $149 million figure that had been listed by DOGE.

Other terminated contracts listed in this week’s data include a USAID contract for the Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative with a $256 million ceiling, from which DOGE claims to have saved $170 million that has yet to be obligated to the contractor.

Another newly listed canceled contract is the USAID’s Global Health Training, Advisory, and Support Contract program, a multi-year program that started in 2021 and was capped at $682 million through 2029. DOGE claims to have saved $284 million by terminating this program.

The single biggest contract listed this week is a seven-year IT services contract from the USAID to the vendor Salient CRGT Inc., with a $597 million ceiling.

Similar to last week’s data, DOGE now lists more than 940 contracts where contract obligations have already been fully delivered — meaning that 40% of the contracts they claim to have terminated will not actually result in saving any money.

Asked about contracts that list $0 in savings last week, a White House official told ABC News that they’re using a conservative methodology of calculating savings because they subtract the contracts’ obligated dollars from the ceiling amounts. However, for many contracts the ceiling dollars are much higher than what is actually expected to be spent.

For the $10.3 billion in federal grants the sites says it’s terminated, DOGE lists each of the 3,389 grants with the name of the awarding agency and the amount of each grant, but does not lists the grant’s name or purpose.

So far, much of the claimed savings from these grants have come from the USAID — totaling $8.7 billion — followed by $1.1 billion from the State Department, $472 million from the Education Department and $61 million from the EPA.

DOGE has also updated its list of real estate leases that have been terminated, totaling $660 million. But much of the data is now missing information regarding which agency the leases were under, whereas the site previously listed leases from across more than 40 agencies.

The current data shows $143 million worth of real estate leases under the GSA that were terminated, and the rest of the terminated leases– totaling $516 million — do not list their agencies.

DOGE said last week that it would begin updating its website twice a week, but the current update, like the first two, came after a week.

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