Page 23 - Elon Musk

DOGE cuts testing conservative voters' faith in poll for Gaetz's old seat

As the Trump administration forges ahead with its dramatic reshaping of the federal government, voters in a northwest Florida congressional district that's home to thousands of veterans will be among the first to put the president's agenda to an electoral test. The state's Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump, is widely expected to win the special election in Florida's 1st Congressional District on April 1 and help pad Republicans' narrow majority in the US House of Representatives. The seat became vacant with the resignation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz in a heavily Republican district. In a longshot bid, Democrat Gay Valimont is seeking to hinge the race on the Department of Government Efficiency Service's push to fire federal workers and dismantle federal agencies. A win for her would defy decades of political convention and could send loud signals about how the president's aggressive second term in the White House is playing with

US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy steps down as deputy takes over

The abrupt exit adds to the volatility gripping the post office, which has seen sputtering gains in DeJoy's yearslong plan to cut costs, reverse losses and improve efficiency

FBI, ATF form task force to investigate Tesla vandalism, arson cases

The incidents come amid escalating backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his role in President Donald Trump's administration

South Africa's Prez denies 'white persecution' amid Musk's genocide claim

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday the claim that white people are being persecuted in his country is a completely false narrative. It was his latest attempt to push back against allegations made by US President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and some white minority groups in South Africa. South African-born Musk, who has regularly accused South Africa's Black-led government of being anti-white, repeated a claim this weekend in a social media post that some of the country's political figures are actively promoting white genocide." Ramaphosa said in his weekly message to the nation that South Africans should not allow events beyond our shores to divide us or turn us against each other. In particular, we should challenge the completely false narrative that our country is a place in which people of a certain race or culture are being targeted for persecution. Ramaphosa did not mention names, but his denial was a reference to the allegations by Trump and others that South Af

US federal judge blocks Musk's DOGE from accessing union members' data

Her order comes as the Trump administration is trying to persuade another federal judge in New York to partially lift limits on Treasury data access she imposed on a DOGE-affiliated staffer

Tesla woes, Trump tariff protests suggest consumer boycotts taking effect

Tesla's new vehicle sales have plunged 72% in Australia and 76% in Germany, while its share price has dropped over 50% since December 2024, amid growing calls for Musk to step down as CEO

Espionage concerns rise as Trump, Musk fire thousands of federal workers

As President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk work to overhaul the federal government, they're forcing out thousands of workers with insider knowledge and connections who now need a job. For Russia, China and other adversaries, the upheaval in Washington as Musk's Department of Government Efficiency guts government agencies presents an unprecedented opportunity to recruit informants, national security and intelligence experts say. Every former federal worker with knowledge of or access to sensitive information or systems could be a target. When thousands of them leave their jobs at the same time, that creates a lot of targets, as well as a counterespionage challenge for the United States. This information is highly valuable, and it shouldn't be surprising that Russia and China and other organisations criminal syndicates for instance would be aggressively recruiting government employees, said Theresa Payton, a former White House chief information officer under President Georg

'I'll pay it out of my own pocket': Trump on Nasa astronauts' overtime fee

Originally an eight-day test mission, Williams and Wilmore stayed over nine months at the ISS due to helium leaks and thruster malfunctions that made their Starliner capsule unsafe to return

Elon Musk meets Pentagon officials, demands prosecution of leakers

Earlier on Friday, before arriving at the Pentagon, Musk lashed out at the New York Times, calling it pure propaganda. I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon

Elon Musk-owned Starlink gets NOC to launch services in Pakistan

Interestingly, Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter) is banned in Pakistan

Trump denies NYT report that Musk will be briefed on China war plans

The Wall Street Journal also reported Musk would receive a briefing on US plans for a potential China war, citing people familiar

'Cleaning up dead people data': DOGE cuts 3.2 mn from social security rolls

The steepest decline was observed in the 140-149 age group, which saw a reduction of 1.13 million individuals, followed closely by the 130-139 age bracket, which lost 1.126 million people

Regulators recall nearly all Tesla cybertrucks over safety concerns

US safety regulators have recalled virtually all Cybertrucks on the road, the eighth recall of the Tesla-made vehicles since deliveries to customers began just over a year ago. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recall, which covers more than 46,000 Cybertrucks, warned that an exterior panel that runs along the left and right side of the windshield can detach while driving, creating a dangerous road hazard for other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash. The stainless-steel strip, called a cant rail assembly, between the windshield and the roof on both sides, is bound to the truck's assembly with a structural adhesive, the NHTSA report said. The remedy uses an adhesive that's not been found to be vulnerable to environmental embrittlement, the NHTSA said, and includes additional reinforcements. Tesla will replace the panel free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 19, 2025. The recall of 46,096 Cybertrucks covers all 2024 and 2025 .

Trump refutes report saying Elon Musk to see plans for any China war

n a social media post late Thursday, Trump said the report was "ridiculous" and "completely untrue"

X takes Indian govt to court, alleges arbitrary censorship of content

The petition, filed under Article 226, alleged that the Union government circumvents safeguards under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act)

China's need for speed: The innovation that beat Musk's Hyperloop ambition

China has made a breakthrough in Hyperloop technology, solving key challenges that stalled Elon Musk's vision with cost-effective engineering and precision construction

'Harms our business model': X sues Centre for using IT Act to block content

X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, stated that arbitrary blocking orders pose a threat to its business model, which depends on users sharing lawful information

USAID taps Musk's DOGE staffer for senior role as agency overhaul continues

Elon Musk's DOGE staffer takes senior post at USAID as Pete Marocco returns to the State Department amid a major leadership shake-up in US foreign aid policy

Govt in talks with Elon Musk's X over Grok AI's use of expletives

MeitY is in talks with X as it investigates Grok AI's use of Hindi slang and offensive language, following controversy over the chatbot's unfiltered responses

Elon Musk's X raises close to $1 bn in fresh funding at $32 valuation

The company is considering using some of the proceeds to pay down its remaining debt load