NBC: Top Stories

• Elon Musk says federal workers must justify their work — or resign

  Billionaire Elon Musk issued an ultimatum to federal employees Saturday, saying in a post on his social media platform X that employees must respond to an email justifying the work they completed this week or resign.

• Trump touts efforts to reshape government in CPAC speech

  President Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, marking his first address to the conservative gathering since the beginning of his second term. It comes after the President fired CQ Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as part of a major shakeup at the Pentagon. NBC News’ Vaughn Hillyard has the latest.

• FBI Director Kash Patel to be named ATF chief

  President Donald Trump's FBI director, Kash Patel, is expected to become head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to a White House official and two other sources familiar with the plan.

• Vatican says Pope Francis in 'critical' condition

  Pope Francis remains in 'critical' condition after he experienced a severe asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday morning, requiring high-flow oxygen therapy, the Vatican said. NBC News’ Claudio Lavagna has the latest from Rome.

• Hostages released by Hamas reunite with their families

  Israeli hostages Tal Shoham, Omer Shem Tov, Omer Wenkert and Eliya Cohen were kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and among six hostages released in the final exchange of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Ethiopian-Israeli Avera Mengistu and Israeli Bedouin Hisham al-Sayed were also freed after being held in Gaza for a decade.