Ellen Knickmeyer

Stay informed with Ellen Knickmeyer’s coverage and analysis for Fortune.

FILE – President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, on April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Trump officials keep up tariff pressure but hint at flexibility on deadline

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Michelle L. Price, and others

Trump speaks with leaders in Abu Dhabi

People danced in the streets of Damascus after Trump vowed to end all sanctions on Syria. His administration is unsure how best to proceed

By Abby Sewell, Ellen Knickmeyer, and others

FILE- President Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman during a bilateral meeting, in Riyadh, May 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia raises the prospect of US nuclear cooperation with the kingdom

By Ellen Knickmeyer and The Associated Press

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio unveils massive State Department overhaul that includes a 15% staff cut and the closure of 100 bureaus worldwide

By Farnoush Amiri, Matthew Lee, and others

WASHINGTON, DC UNITED STATES- MARCH 14: The exterior of the State Department complex is seen on March 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Elon Musk’s 28-year-old DOGE lieutenant dismantled USAID. Now it’s taking place at the State Department

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Matthew Lee, and others

FILE – Flowers and a sign are placed outside the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

America’s European allies are trying to pry millions of their unspent money back from USAID

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Jamey Keaten, and others

Demonstrators protest against cuts to American foreign aid spending, including USAID and the PEPFAR program to combat HIV/AIDS, at the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump administration blames ‘institutional drift’ as it plans to cut over 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Mark Sherman, and others

Priya Kathpal, right, and Taylor Williamson, left, who work for a company doing contract work for the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, carry signs outside the USAID headquarters in Washington, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Trump administration puts all but a fraction of USAID workers on leave and fires 1,600 in U.S.

By Ellen Knickmeyer and The Associated Press

Flowers and a sign are placed outside the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

White House fires USAID inspector general a day after his office warns dismantling of agency means it can no longer track $8.2bn in unspent humanitarian funds

By Ellen Knickmeyer and The Associated Press

Priya Kathpal, right, and Taylor Williamson, who work for a company doing contract work for the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, carry signs outside the USAID headquarters in Washington, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

USAID can’t track $8.2 billion in unspent aid after Trump administration froze foreign funding and idled staffers, watchdog warns

By Ellen Knickmeyer and The Associated Press

Demonstrators and lawmakers rally against President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk as they disrupt the federal government, including dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, which administers foreign aid approved by Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

A judge Trump nominated says he will temporarily block the administration from placing 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Michael Kunzelman, and others

Demonstrators and lawmakers rally against President Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk as they disrupt the federal government, including dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, which administers foreign aid approved by Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Trump administration plans to slash all but 300 jobs at USAID

By Ellen Knickmeyer and The Associated Press

FILE – Solar panels system funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are seen in the Lebanese-Syrian border town of Majdal Anjar, eastern Bekaa valley, Lebanon, Nov. 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein, File)

Trump administration is recalling almost all USAID workers worldwide

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Matthew Lee, and others

FILE – Refugees prepare food including maize porridge donated by USAID and known locally as posho, during the visit of U.N. in Adjumani, Uganda, Aug. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Stephen Wandera, File)

What is USAID and why do Trump and Musk want to shut it?

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Meg Kinnard, and others

FILE – A man walks past boxes of USAID humanitarian aid at a warehouse at the Tienditas International Bridge on the outskirts of Cucuta, Colombia, Feb. 21, 2019, on the border with Venezuela. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Elon Musk says President Trump is on board with shuttering USAID: ‘It’s beyond repair’

By Ellen Knickmeyer and The Associated Press