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Plus, not all of his Fox News picks are for Cabinet roles. A TV doc to oversee health insurance for 160 million-plus AmericansDr. Mehmet Oz outside of a polling location during the primary election in Rockledge, Pennsylvania, on May 17. In between failed bids for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, Huckabee hosted a show on Fox News. Homan was actually the first of Trump’s picks to be announced from the Fox News orbit. An anti-mainstream conspiracy theorist and author to oversee health policyRobert F. Kennedy Jr. in New York in May.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump’s, Trump, Dan Bongino, Read, Hegseth, John Lamparski, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Mehmet Oz, Hannah Beier, Oprah, Mike Huckabee, Chip Somodevilla, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Huckabee, he’s, there’s, Sean Duffy, Mary F, Reuters Long, MTV’s, ”, Duffy, Rachel Campos, she’s, “, Justin Sullivan, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Elon, Gabbard, Hillary Clinton, ’ Tom Homan, Kamil Krzaczynski, Tom Homan, ” Homan won’t, Homan, Brian Stelter, Anthony Scaramucci, Richard Grenell, Heather Nauert, Morgan Ortagus, Bill Shine, Lev Radin, Kennedy, There’s, Dr, Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, Peter Bergen, Linda McMahon, Jeenah, McMahon, Vince McMahon Organizations: CNN, ”, Black Americans, Fox News, Service, Fox News Channel Studios, Army National Guard, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army, Medicare, Services, Holy Land Former Arkansas Gov, Republican, Trinity Broadcasting Network, Calvert, Reuters, Boston, Trump, “ Fox, Friends, Hegseth, Fox Business, Fox, Democratic Party, Democratic, Elon Musk’s, Convention, Getty, Customs, Human Services, New York Times, Republican National Convention, Trump’s, Business Administration, WWE Locations: America, Washington, New York, New York City, Iraq, Rockledge , Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Drexel Hill , Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Jerusalem, Israel, Rayburn, Washington , DC, Wisconsin, Russia, Las Vegas, Syria, Milwaukee, AFP

☆ Trump’s turn to bask in Musk’s reflected glory
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX visionary, has spent the last two weeks basking in Trump’s reflected glory at Mar-a-Lago. He’s around so much it’s almost like he’s family, and he even made it into a photo of Trump’s extended clan. Trump’s growing cultural cloutTrump’s visit to Musk’s launchpad was also the latest occasion since the election when he has inserted himself into high-profile photo-ops. The hit perhaps reflects Trump’s starry-eyed infatuation with Musk’s amazing array of spaceships and limitless ambition. With Musk, Trump might get more than he bargained for.

Persons: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, —, “, ”, Trump, Rushmore, Donald Jr, Texas Sen, Ted Cruz, Ronny Jackson, Musk, it’s, ” Trump, Greg Autry, Vivek Ramaswamy, Chandan Khanna, It’s, Kena Betancur, Joe Rogan, Theo Von, Musk’s launchpad, who’s, Anna Moneymaker, Kim Jong Un, MAGA, Elton John, DOGE, Andrew Harnik, Tim Pawlenty, CNN’s Erin Burnett, “ Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron, Kim Organizations: CNN, Elon, SpaceX, Texas, White, Trump, University of Central, of Government, Fox News, Tesla, UFC, Madison, Getty, YouTube, Barstool Sports, Republican Party, House Republicans, Hyatt, Minnesota Gov Locations: Texas, Washington, New York, Great State of Texas, He’s, Trump, Gulf of Mexico, United States, University of Central Florida, AFP, Novi , Michigan, Korean, Washington ,, Mar, Minnesota, Russia, Paris

☆ How much of Musk’s wealth comes from tax dollars and government help?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Government crucial to Musk’s net worthIt’s worthwhile to ask just how much of his world-leading net worth comes from government help over the last 10 to 15 years. Tesla and SpaceX got started – and survived their early days – with assistance from state and federal policies, government contracts and loans. Tesla buyers received federal tax credits worth an estimated $3.4 billion before the perk disappeared entirely for Tesla buyers at the end of 2019. “Take away the subsidies, it will only help Tesla,” Musk posted on his social media platform X in July. According to USASpending.gov, the government database that tracks federal spending, SpaceX has signed contracts worth nearly $20 billion.

Persons: New York CNN — Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Musk, ”, Daniel Ives, SpaceX doesn’t, Tesla’s, Noah Berger, Tesla, Trump, ” Musk, Elon Musk, Frederic J . Brown, Ives, Brandon Bell, USASpending.gov, Casey Dreier, ” Dreier, “ Elon, Dreier, CNN’s Jackie Wattles Organizations: New, New York CNN, SpaceX, Trump, Government, Wedbush Securities, Reuters, Department of Energy, Biden, US, Tesla, Getty, NASA, International Space, Planetary Society Locations: New York, Fremont , California, Hawthorne , California, AFP, Brownsville , Texas, Russia

☆ SpaceX completes sixth Starship flight, with both booster and spacecraft splashing down
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

SpaceX launched the sixth test flight of its Starship rocket on Tuesday, as the company looks to keep up momentum of the mammoth vehicle’s development. Pushing the envelopeSpaceX has flown the full Starship rocket system on six spaceflight tests so far since April 2023, at a steadily increasing cadence. The company said on its website that it made hardware upgrades to the rocket’s booster for improved redundancy and improved structural strength. The Starship system is designed to be fully reusable and aims to become a new method of flying cargo and people beyond Earth. Fully stacked on the Super Heavy booster, Starship stands 397 feet tall and is about 30 feet in diameter.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, Donald Trump, Trump, SpaceX’s, Musk Organizations: SpaceX, Federal Aviation Administration, Super Locations: Brownsville , Texas, Gulf, Mexico, Florida

☆ Trump watches Musk’s SpaceX Starship launch in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Is A Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: 1 min

President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he was traveling to Texas to personally witness the latest launch for SpaceX’s Starship megarocket, a key part of billionaire Elon Musk’s plans to populate Mars. Trump, who has endorsed a Mars mission, announced his plans in a post on X. “I’m heading to the Great State of Texas to watch the launch of the largest object ever to be elevated, not only to Space, but simply by lifting off the ground. Good luck to @ElonMusk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project!” he said. Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, said on X he was honored to have Trump at the event.

Persons: Donald Trump, Elon Musk’s, Trump, Musk Organizations: Great Patriots, SpaceX, Tesla, Trump Locations: Texas, Great State of Texas

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft sits atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket at the company's Boca Chica launchpad, near Brownsville, Texas, on November 16. Musk’s claims came after the FAA proposed $633,009 in civil penalties against SpaceX, saying the company violated launch license requirements twice during flights of its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX has denied wrongdoing related to those requirements, saying none of the allegations related to public safety. Still, the FAA granted SpaceX its long-awaited license to move forward with Starship’s fifth uncrewed test launch in October — and that same launch license covers this week’s test flight. It marks the first time that SpaceX has not had to go back to the FAA to approve launch license changes since the company began this testing campaign years ago.

Persons: Joe Skipper, Elon Musk, Musk, Donald Trump, —, Mike Whitaker “, ” Musk, Musk’s Organizations: Boca, Reuters, SpaceX, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, “ Department, Government Locations: Brownsville , Texas, —

☆ Ramaswamy's 'jackhammer and chain saw' plan to force federal workers back into the office.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Laura Strickler | Laura Strickler Is A Senior Investigative Producer | Reporter For Nbc News. She Is Based In Washington. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Vacant federal office space in downtown Washington is costly to maintain and a deep source of frustration to Mayor Muriel Bowser. She told reporters last week that she had requested a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump and that top on her agenda is pushing federal workers to return to downtown Washington. All told, the U.S. has roughly 2.2 million federal workers. With fewer people in the office, the cost of excess federal office space has become a concern. In 2004, a little over 750,000 federal workers were eligible to work from home.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk's, Muriel Bowser, Donald Trump, ” Bowser, “, Ramaswamy, Tucker Carlson, ”, ” Ramaswamy, ” Jacqueline Simon, Musk’s, Kamil Krzaczynski, Simon, Joe Biden, George W, Bush Organizations: Management, American Federation of Government Employees, Bureau of Prisons, NBC, Patrol, Office, Republican, Republican National Convention, Getty, Education Department, OMB, Personnel Management Locations: Washington, ”, U.S, Milwaukee, AFP

☆ Trump to Watch Latest SpaceX Launch With Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Erica L. Green | More About Erica L. Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Trump’s appearance at the launch demonstrates the growing closeness between the two billionaires, and Mr. Musk’s increasing influence in Mr. Trump’s realm. Last week, Mr. Trump announced that Mr. Musk would lead a yet-to-be-created government agency, and Mr. Musk has become a staple in Mr. Trump’s transition. Mr. Musk has frequently attended meetings with him at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private residence, and traveled with Mr. Trump to meetings in Washington. As has been the case with many of Mr. Trump’s job candidates, Mr. Musk’s influence and presence brings potential conflicts of interest. Although he and Mr. Musk only recently became close allies, Mr. Trump had long expressed admiration for Mr. Musk’s rocket launches and would frequently reference SpaceX during campaign speeches.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, SpaceX’s, Elon Musk, Musk, Trump’s, Musk’s Organizations: Elon, Mar, Mr, Musk’s SpaceX, SpaceX, Musk’s Locations: Brownsville , Texas, Washington

☆ With Elon Musk in tow, Trump eyes changes to government policies on AI and its risks
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Republican document said the executive order contained “radical leftwing ideas” that hindered innovation. The most advanced AI systems could, in the worst case, “pose an extinction-level threat to the human species,” the report said. A related document said AI systems could be used to implement “high-impact cyberattacks capable of crippling critical infrastructure,” among a litany of risks. However, he worries that a repeal of Biden’s executive order would spell the end of the US government’s AI Safety Institute. It is possible that that would be the subject of a future Trump executive order,” said Strait.

Persons: London CNN — Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Joe Biden, Sandra Wachter, ”, Andrew Strait, Ada Lovelace, Strait, Kamala Harris, Musk, Steve Kramer, Dean Phillips, Biden, Phillips ’, Taylor Swift, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, ” Manoj Chaudhary, What’s, It’s “, Trump, ” Strait, Gavin Newsom, JD Vance, “, Musk’s Tesla Organizations: London CNN, White House, Republican Party, Republican, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University, CNN, Ada, Ada Lovelace Institute, US Department of Homeland Security, Democratic, US State Department, AI Safety, “ Department, Government, Trump Locations: London, United States, New Hampshire, Alexandria, Colorado, New York, ”, California

☆ Beware these stocks that rely on government spending if Musk’s DOGE threatens budgets
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Given this overhang, Morgan Stanley's sales team created a whole basket of stocks that have a large exposure to government spending. gov Relatively high revenue from government, as estimated by Morgan Stanley Notably, the list mostly excludes defense contractors, as Morgan Stanley expects them to be more insulated from budget cuts. Stocks in the basket include these 10: Moderna and Pfizer are two companies that made the basket. While the average analyst polled by LSEG has a hold rating, the average price target implies the stock will nearly double over the next year. MRNA PFE YTD mountain Moderna and Pfizer, year to date Research and consulting firm Gartner was also included in the Morgan Stanley basket.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Trump, Elon, Vivek Ramaswamy, it's, Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Trump's, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, LSEG, Gartner Organizations: Tesla, Roivant Sciences, Department of Government Efficiency, Intuit, Washington Post, Internal Revenue, gov, Moderna, Pfizer, Human Services, Research, Gartner Locations: Stamford , Connecticut

A company tied to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones filed Monday to dispute the sale of the Infowars website to the parody site The Onion, calling it improper and unfair. In the morning, First United American Cos., a limited liability company that runs Jones’ online supplements store, filed an emergency motion to disqualify the winning bid of The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron,’ to purchase the Infowars media empire and other assets. The company running Jones’ online store had placed a competing bid against The Onion to purchase the estate. Infowars was briefly shut down after the sale was announced, NBC News reported, but it has resumed operating since. The proceeds from the sale of Infowars and Jones’ other assets will go toward his estate creditors, including the families of Sandy Hook victims.

Persons: Alex Jones, Cos, Jones, ’, Sandy Hook, FUAC, ”, “, Infowars, ” Jones, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Ben Collins —, ” Collins, InfoWars Organizations: Global, NBC News, X Corp Locations: United, Connecticut, Infowars

☆ The admitted and investigated drug use in some of Trump’s top picks
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks are unique for many reasons. Kennedy brings his addiction worldview to prescription drugs such as those overseen by the Food and Drug Administration, which he would oversee if confirmed as HHS secretary. But Musk denied allegations of past drug use as reported in The Wall Street Journal early this year. Federal employees are barred from taking illegal drugs, and there are no reports to indicate that any of Trump’s Cabinet or other administration picks are using illegal drugs. CNN has reported that this year, Trump’s team is bypassing long and cumbersome FBI background checks for some of his Cabinet picks.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Matt Gaetz, It’s, –, Gaetz, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, Kurt Andersen, ” Elon Musk, Matthew Perry, Joe Rogan’s, Musk, Larry Kudlow, Hunter, Hunter Biden, Trump, Fred, Theo Von’s “, ” Von, Von, Sackler, Xi Jinping, Biden, Joe Biden, Florida’s Organizations: CNN —, Drug Enforcement, Department of Health, Human Services, Harvard University, Food and Drug Administration, Fox News, “ Department, Government, NASA, SpaceX, Street, Trump, CNN, Biden White, of Justice, Supreme, Purdue Pharma, Republican Locations: Florida, South Dakota, China, Mexico

☆ Janja Lula da Silva, Brazil’s first lady, swears at Elon Musk at G20 event
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Brazil’s first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, swore while addressing billionaire Elon Musk during a G20 event on the weekend, at which she spoke about the need to regulate social media to rein in misinformation. A ship’s horn sounded as she spoke Saturday and she joked, “I think it’s Elon Musk,” before adding, “I’m not afraid of you, f**k you, Elon Musk.”Musk, owner of social network X, reacted to a video of her remarks by posting a laughing out loud emoji graphic. In another post, he added, “They are going to lose the next election,” in a reference to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The president’s wife spoke at an event ahead of the Rio de Janeiro summit of the G20 group of largest nations set for Monday and Tuesday. X was cleared to resume service in Brazil last month, after it reversed course and started complying with the court rulings.

Persons: Brazil’s, Janja Lula da Silva, Elon Musk, “, “ I’m, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Organizations: ” Locations: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Australia, United Kingdom

☆ Brendan Carr wrote the FCC chapter in ‘Project 2025.’ Now he’s Trump’s pick for the agency
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Brian Stelter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, wasted no time in stating his priorities on Sunday night. Carr is now the senior Republican at the agency, which meant he was widely expected to get the chairman appointment. As chairman, Carr may be able to steer generous federal subsidies to Starlink. In his Project 2025 chapter, Carr laid out an agenda for the federal agency under a future Trump administration. The FCC chairman during Trump’s first term in office, Ajit Pai, had a very different set of priorities.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Brendan Carr, Carr, ” Carr, Elon Musk, ”, Trump, NewsGuard, hasn’t, “ Carr, Gigi Sohn, Tom Wheeler, Trump’s, Ajit Pai, Pai, Jessica Rosenworcel, can’t Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Communications Commission, FCC, Democrats, Republican, Politico, Elon, Facebook, Twitter, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, Trump, Communications, Free Press, Democratic, Democrat Locations: New York, Big Tech

☆ What is impoundment? How Trump thinks he can control spending without Congress
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —“Impoundment” is another word that Americans may need to learn in the vernacular of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. Trump took the time to record a video about impoundment during the Republican primary season, and he promised seizing control over spending from Congress would be a top priority if he was elected. Impoundment occurs when Congress appropriates money that the president then declines to spend. As a result of these standoffs, Congress passed a law to curtail a president’s use of impoundment, particularly for policy reasons. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 did a lot more than that, however.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, ”, Trump, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Nixon, Nixon, Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Trump’s, “, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk, DOGE –, Ramaswamy, ” Ramaswamy, Matt Gaetz, Jimmy Carter, It’s Organizations: CNN, Senate, Republican, Congress, Congressional Research Service, Office, Capitol, Supreme, overreach, Elon, “ Department, Government, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Ramaswamy, Department of Education, Nuclear Regulatory, Trump, FBI Locations: Mississippi, Louisiana, France, Ukraine, Trump’s, Ohio, Washington

“I don’t think that Black Twitter is going to exist within the next couple of years,” said Jonathan Johnson, a 29-year-old behavioral therapist in Houston and a longtime Twitter and X user. “Social media is only important because of the social part, and if you don’t have that, people aren’t going to use” the app. Like many others, Black users have been eyeing an exit from the app since 2022, but users told NBC News that this mass exodus feels more permanent. He criticized the functionality of the app and said it will suffer without a mass of Black users. “It feels like a very welcoming, safe space,” said Pariss Chandler, the organizer of Black Tech Twitter and the founder of the recruitment platform Black Tech Pipeline.

Persons: ”, Jonathan Johnson, Mike Brown’s, Donald Trump, “, Ashon Crawley, Johnson, ” Elon, Musk, “ I’m, ” Crawley, Emily Liu, ” Liu, Gabrielle Union, Don Lemon, Vivek Ramaswamy, ” Johnson, Pariss Chandler, Chandler, “ It’s, ” Chandler, they’re, Rudy Fraser, Fraser, “ there’s, Bluesky, Bluesky’s, Blacksky Organizations: Twitter, University of Virginia, NBC News, Bluesky, Meta, Republican, “ Department, Government, Black Tech Twitter, Black Tech Pipeline Locations: Houston, Similarweb, Bluesky, Los Angeles, Crawley, Still

On the right, familiar conspiracy theories about voting popularized by President-elect Donald Trump continued to circulate. NewsGuard said there was “no evidence” that Starlink was used to interfere with the presidential election in Trump’s favor. As the 2024 election results were reported, social media users on the left began to speculate about Musk’s role in vote counting. “Kamala Harris left us a breadcrumb,” one TikTok user said about the updated language on the fund’s website in a video that received over 700,000 views. CISA responded to this speculation on its website’s “Rumor vs. Reality” resource, where it has debunked election misinformation.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Sam Howard, NewsGuard, Elon Musk’s, Starlink, Max Read, ” Read, “, ”, denialism, ” NewsGuard’s Howard, ” Howard, Howard, Trump, weren’t, Musk, Joe Rogan, Theo Von, Harris, “ Starlink, Elon Musk, Jen, “ Kamala Harris, CISA Organizations: President, Facebook, NBC, Institute for Strategic, NBC News, Trump, Conservative, “, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, Fund, Republicans, Street Journal, Democratic National, Harris, Democratic Party, FBI Locations: NewsGuard’s U.S, U.S, Wisconsin, Trump’s, Pennsylvania, California

☆ Iran ‘categorically denies’ UN envoy met Elon Musk
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The New York Times reported the meeting took place earlier this week, citing two Iranian officials. But Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei “categorically denied” that a meeting took place and was “surprised” by the coverage in US media, state-run IRNA said. CNN has reached out to Musk, Trump’s transition team and the Iranian mission at the UN for confirmation of the meeting. Just last week, the day after the presidential election, Musk joined Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to two sources. Trump announced Tuesday that Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration.

Persons: CNN —, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Esmaeil Baghaei “, ”, IRNA, Amir Saeid Iravani, Musk, Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump, Zelensky, Vivek Ramaswamy, Government ”, –, Republicans – Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Elon, The New York Times, The Times, UN, Trump, “ Department, Government, NASA, Republicans Locations: Iranian, New York, Starlink, Ukraine, Russia, Government

Despite its name, it won’t actually be a “department,” like the Department of Education or the Department of Homeland Security. “From the outside, will Musk and Ramaswamy be able to do a whole lot? During a late-October town hall on X, Musk suggested his ideal spending cuts could trigger economic pain for people. Democrats acknowledged they had little ability to prevent the Trump administration from enacting the changes Musk and Ramaswamy suggest. “In this second term in particular, President Trump has a better understanding of what needs to be done and how to do it,” Schatz said.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, ” —, Ramaswamy, Trump, “, ” Musk, Max Stier, ” Stier, Musk, ”, MacGuineas, Joe Spielberger, ” Ramaswamy, Tucker Carlson, ” Sen, John Fetterman, “ It’s, Trump’s, —, they’re, Elon, Vivek, ” Spielberger, he’s, Lisa Gilbert, “ Musk, ’, Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Dean Phillips Organizations: Trump, “ Department, Government, Department of Education, Department of Homeland Security, White, Management, Budget, Partnership for Public Service, Social Security, Federal, Roivant Sciences, GOP, NBC News, FBI, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Education Department, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Food and Nutrition Service, Agriculture Department, Democrats, Senate, “, SpaceX, NBC, Twitter, Elon, Public Citizen, Democratic, Democrat Locations: Government

CNN —President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk have big ambitions for making the federal government leaner and more efficient by reviewing its budget and operations from top to bottom. Details about how the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, will operate – and how Musk and his co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy will avoid conflicts of interest – remain scarce. Musk also took aim at the Department of Education, a frequent target of Trump and Republicans, criticizing the agency for allegedly indoctrinating kids with left-wing propaganda and other failings. Slashing that much from the federal budget – which totaled roughly $6.8 trillion in fiscal 2024 – would require cutting every program by roughly one-third, said Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress. “Trump’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ will not be an actual department.

Persons: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump, ” Musk, Ramaswamy, Musk, ”, “, ” Ramaswamy, Stephen Moore, Elon, Vivek, Moore, Larry Summers, Clinton, Glenn Hubbard, George W, Bush, Bobby Kogan, ” Kogan, Brian Riedl, Riedl, GOP Sen, Rob Portman, Sharon Parrott, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, William Hoagland, Peter G, Peterson, –, Jon Greenbaum, ’ that’s, Harry Sandick Organizations: CNN, Elon, Department of Government, Trump, Republican, White House, SpaceX, Department of Education, of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, Education Department, Labor Department, FBI, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Heritage Foundation, US, of Economic, American, Security, Social Security, Manhattan Institute, GOP, ‘ Department, Government, White, White House & Congress, Congressional Republicans, Children’s Health Insurance, Affordable, Budget, Republicans, Grace, Center, Elon Musk, Federal Advisory Committee, Democratic Locations: Rob Portman of Ohio

☆ Elon Musk is a showman, not an accountant
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The merch will be 🔥🔥🔥”If you need more evidence of how silly this whole thing is, note (as many commentators did online) that the efficiency department is being overseen by two people. On the campaign trail last month, Musk was asked how much he thought he could cut from the nation’s $6.5 trillion budget. Musk would be lucky to find $200 billion in the federal budget, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said at the Economic Club of New York on Tuesday. Even Trump joked to House Republicans on Wednesday that he can’t get rid of Musk, a source in the room told CNN. And that means Musk himself, as Tesla’s largest individual shareholder, is $55 billion richer today than he was a week ago.

Persons: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, ”, he’s, Vivek Ramaswamy, ” Trump, Elon, Vivek, Trump, Musk, ments on Organizations: New, New York CNN, bro, “ Department, Government, Ford, United Airlines, Republican Congress Locations: New York, le

On the day after the election, Nov. 6, X experienced its largest user exodus since Elon Musk bought the platform in 2022. NBC News spoke to six people who have joined or committed to using Threads and Bluesky in place of X after the election because of Musk. In the past five days, Wurtz said people she used to follow on X have started to trickle over to Threads. “I have a private personal account for friends and family and a public account for Taylor Swift, so nobody drowns in my Taylor Swift content,” Polo said. Currently, X users can go to the site’s settings and opt out.

Persons: Elon Musk, Don Lemon, Donald Trump, Musk, Kara Wurtz, Louis, ” Wurtz, “, I’m, Wurtz, Wurtz isn’t, Adam Mosseri, Bluesky, ”, Mosseri, David Carr, X, Polo, Swifties, Taylor Swift, ” Polo, Elon, Rory Mir, ” Mir, José Vilson, “ I’m, ” Laura Sell, Sell, “ It’s, Micah Lee, Dr, Jorge Caballero, ” Caballero, it’s Organizations: Elon, Guardian, NBC, Trump, Twitter, NBC News, Bluesky, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Duke University Press Locations: Similarweb, United States, Canada, Bluesky

☆ How Elon Musk’s worst business decision led him to Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, will be taking on an official role to try to help President-elect Donald Trump make government more efficient. It will add yet another responsibility to an ever-growing to-do list for the increasingly distracted CEO and business leader. Tesla, Musk’s most valuable company, in recent years has struggled to maintain its dominance of the electric vehicle market. Of course, that’s if Trump and Musk remain on good terms. And no matter how much power and influence Musk could yield, Trump will hold the ultimate trump card: He’ll be president.

Persons: New York CNN — Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Musk, Tesla, Trump, ”, Dan Ives, Ives, “, it’s, ” Ives, He’ll Organizations: New, New York CNN, SpaceX, Boring, EV, Wedbush Securities, Trump White House, Tesla, Trump, Bloomberg, Boeing, Fidelity, Twitter Locations: New York, China

☆ Bluesky’s user base has doubled in the past 90 days. Is it a mass exodus from X?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Bluesky’s user base has doubled in the past 90 days — on Tuesday the company said it had gained 1 million new sign-ups in the past week alone, bringing it to more than 15 million total users. “X usage is at an all-time high and continues to surge,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a post Wednesday. Bluesky also saw daily visits jump on Election Day and the day after to 1.2 million and 1.3 million, respectively, up from around 800,000 in the days before. On Bluesky, daily users more than doubled from-mid October to the post-election week. In the run-up to the election, Musk spread false and misleading claims about Trump’s competitor, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Persons: Bluesky rocketed, Elon, Musk, Donald Trump, Charlie Warzel, New York Times ’ Mara Gay, Don Lemon, X, White supremacists, Linda Yaccarino, “, Similarweb, Bluesky, ” David Carr, we’ve, Ed Zitron, EZPR, Zitron, Mike Isaac, ”, Trump, MAGA, Kamala Harris, Vivek Ramaswamy, Vladimir Zelensky, Musk’s Starlink, That’s, – CNN’s Liam Reilly, Matt Egan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Apple, New York Times, CNN, Guardian, ” New York Times, Trump, Twitter, “ Department, Government Locations: New York, anecdotally, Bluesky, ”, Russia

The report adds to some other examples of hateful rhetoric spreading after Trump’s victory. Gender played a central role in this year’s election as Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign emphasized reproductive rights. Even before his election, Trump and his supporters had targeted Harris with misogynistic comments throughout her campaign. On platforms like TikTok, women posted about the misogynistic comments they had received parroting Fuentes’ remarks, with many also rebuking the sentiment. A TikTok spokesperson confirmed that phrases like “your body, my choice” violates community guidelines, except for instances of counterspeech.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nick Fuentes —, —, Fuentes, “, Isabelle Frances, Wright, Kamala Harris ’, Trump, Harris —, Joe Biden, Harris, Donald Trump’s, ” Fuentes ’, parroting Fuentes ’ Organizations: Strategic, Institute for Strategic, Institute, Strategic Dialogue’s, Black, FBI, NBC, Elon Musk’s America PAC, Communist, Trump Locations: London

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