What are the two ingredients that are really necessary in order to cut the budget deficit in half,

from $2 trillion to $1 trillion?

And it's really two things.

Competence and caring.

President Donald Trump handed more power to Elon Musk.

That's where we're starting the seven from the Washington Post.

I'm Hannah Jewell.

It's Wednesday, February 12th.

Let's get you caught up with today's seven stories.

President Trump signed another executive order yesterday.

It requires federal agencies to work with the U.S. Doge service to cut the

existing workforce and limit future hiring. Doge is the Department of Government Efficiency.

That's tech CEO Elon Musk's project to drastically cut and remake the federal government.

And yesterday's executive order made the group a lot more powerful.

It installs a Doge team lead at each agency and gives that person oversight over hiring decisions.

It also instructs agency heads after the hiring freeze expires to recruit no more than one employee

for every four who depart, with some exceptions. With Trump seated next to him, Musk spoke to

reporters in the Oval Office yesterday. He said he and Trump have a strong mandate from voters.

The people voted for major government reform.

There should be no doubt about that.

That was on the campaign.

The president spoke about that at every rally.

...