WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States government's giant humanitarian agency closed its headquarters to staff on Monday amid moves by Elon Musk, the world's richest person and President Donald Trump's controversial aide, to seize control in actions decried by critics as "plain illegal."

Workers at the US Agency for International Development (USAid) were told to stay out of its Washington office after its website went dark over the weekend, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing on Monday it would come under his control.

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