Memo says aim is to retain only those employees who are ‘reliable, loyal, trustworthy’. Plus, 85% of Greenlanders reject US advances

Good morning.

The Trump administration has offered buyouts to almost all of the roughly 3 million people who work for the US government if they leave their jobs by 6 February in exchange for seven months’ salary, as the White House attempts to gut the civil service.

What are the details? The email had the same subject line – “Fork in the road” – as one sent by Elon Musk to employees at Twitter in 2022 when he bought the social media platform. It asked interested workers to reply with the word “Resign”.

How did the employees’ union react? The American Federation of Government Employees denounced the offer. It said it was an effort to pressure workers who are not considered loyal to the new administration to leave their jobs – which could cause upheaval in federal programs.

What do we know about the death toll so far? Local officials counting casualties into hospital tents said at least 38 were feared dead while other officials and doctors have given death tolls ranging from 15 to 50.