Page 42 - Elon Musk

Elon Musk dodges DOGE scrutiny while expanding his power in Washington

Elon Musk made a clear promise after Donald Trump decided to put him in charge of making the government more efficient. It's not going to be some sort of backroom secret thing, Musk said last year. It will be as transparent as possible," maybe even streamed live online. It hasn't worked out that way so far. In the three weeks since the Republican president has been back in the White House, Musk has rapidly burrowed deep into federal agencies while avoiding public scrutiny of his work. He has not answered questions from journalists or attended any hearings with lawmakers. Staff members for his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, have sidelined career officials around Washington. It is a profound challenge not only to business-as-usual within the federal government, which Trump campaigned on disrupting, but to concepts of consensus and transparency that are foundational in a democratic system. Musk describes himself as White House tech support, and he has embedd

Sonam Kapoor's brother-in-law under lens over $750K USAID funding to NGO

The USAID grant, awarded in 2020, was given to the Good Business Lab, co-founded by Ahuja, the brother of Kapoor's husband, Anand Ahuja

Time features Musk at Oval Office desk, Trump mocks magazine's relevance

The cover showcases Elon Musk holding a coffee cup while seated at the presidential desk, with the American and presidential flags positioned in the background

Don't use TikTok personally, not interested in buying its US biz, says Musk

He made the comments - his first on the topic of him buying TikTok - at a conference in Germany hosted by Mathias Doepfner

Trump's third week sees more executive orders, trade war with China

Three weeks in, President Donald Trump keeps cranking out executive orders designed to remake the government while billionaire Elon Musk hunts for more ways to upend the federal workforce. Trump also provoked then called off trade wars with Canada and Mexico but allowed one with China to move forward. He seemingly made light of potentially thorny political issues while insisting he was serious about the United States seizing Gaza, emptying out its residents and redeveloping the area into the Riviera of the Middle East. It was an idea that friend and foe alike around the world rejected. Here are some Week 3 takeaways: So many executive orders Trump has spent 20 days in office, and on nearly every one of them, he has signed executive orders often several. Just like Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden before him, Trump used Inauguration Day to put pen to paper on actions meant to wipe out large numbers of his predecessor's policies. Trump also issued Day 1 orders to pardon most

PM Modi's agenda during US visit to focus on trade, defence, meeting Musk

India's Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Commerce and Industry didn't immediately respond to emails requesting further information

Judge blocks Musk's access to US Treasury systems, orders data destruction

19 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit with the US Supreme Court against DOGE arguing granting Musk's team access to sensitive govt systems violates constitution and federal laws

Elon Musk, JD Vance push to reinstate DOGE staffer after 'Indian hate' post

Elon Musk and JD Vance are pushing for the reinstatement of a DOGE staffer who resigned after making a controversial 'normalise Indian hate' post

'Back to plastic': Trump to sign exec order to reinstate plastic straws

Once the executive order is signed next week, the federal ban on single-use plastic straws in the US will be lifted, allowing businesses to reintroduce them in beverages

Musk's DOGE team moves into US watchdog CFPB as Trump defends billionaire

In November, Musk called for elimination of the CFPB, which polices and regulates consumer financial products, in a post on his social media platform X

Musk to bring back DOGE staffer who resigned after report of racist posting

Elon Musk said on Friday he is re-hiring a staff member at the Department of Government Efficiency who resigned a day earlier after he was linked to social media posts that espoused racism. Musk, in a post on his social media network X, said he would bring back Marko Elez after Vice President JD Vance called for him to be rehired. President Donald Trump later endorsed his vice president's view. Marko Elez resigned Thursday after The Wall Street Journal linked the 25-year-old DOGE staffer to a deleted social media account on X that posted last year, I was racist before it was cool and You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity, among other posts. The account in September included a post that said, Normalize Indian hate." The vice president's wife, Usha Vance, is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Vance, in a post on Musk-owned X, said Elez should be brought back and blamed journalists who try to destroy people. I obviously disagree with some of Elez's posts, but I don't

US Attorney probe threats against govt employees following Musk's referral

Martin reaffirmed his commitment to investigating any unethical actions, emphasised the importance of holding accountable those who abuse American taxpayer dollars

Judge halts Trump order of USAID workers' leave giving them 30 day deadline

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from placing 2,200 employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development on paid leave. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was nominated by President Donald Trump, sided with two federal employee associations in agreeing to a pause in plans to put the employees on paid leave as of midnight Friday. The workers associations argue that Trump lacks the authority for his swift dismantling of a six-decade-old aid agency enshrined in congressional legislation. CLOSE IT DOWN, Trump said Friday on social media of USAID. Crews used duct tape to block out the agency's name on a sign outside its Washington headquarters Friday, and a flag was taken down. Someone placed a bouquet of flowers outside the door. A group of a half-dozen USAID officials speaking to reporters Friday strongly disputed assertions from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the most essential life-saving programs abroad were getting waivers to ..

Forced leaves start for thousands at USAID under Trump's plan to gut agency

Forced leaves pulling all but a small fraction of staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development off the job around the world began Friday, while employees turned to federal courts to try to roll back the Trump administration's swift dismantling of the six-decade-old aid agency and its programs worldwide. A judge was holding a hearing Friday afternoon in the lawsuit from federal workers associations, who argue that President Donald Trump lacks the authority to shut down an agency enshrined in congressional legislation. CLOSE IT DOWN, Trump said Friday on social media of USAID. Crews used duct tape to block out the agency's name on a sign outside its Washington headquarters Friday, and a flag was taken down. Someone placed a bouquet of flowers outside the door. A group of a half-dozen USAID officials speaking to reporters Friday strongly disputed assertions from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the most essential life-saving programs abroad were getting waivers to ...

Donald Trump sued by Democrat states over Musk's access to treasury data

Trump and Bessent violated federal law by allowing Musk's newly established efficiency team access to Treasury Department information

Musk warns AI and drones will dominate future wars. Here's why it matters

Musk also emphasised the need for the US to accelerate domestic drone production, warning that countries often prepare for past wars rather than future ones

Trump orders USAID staff cut from 10,000 to 300, global aid in limbo

Trump's USAID overhaul slashes staff from 10,000 to 300, risking global aid as critics warn mass layoffs will disrupt life-saving programs worldwide

Democratic AGs challenge Musk's staff access to Americans' personal data

Democratic attorneys general in several states vowed Thursday to file a lawsuit to stop Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency's from accessing federal payment systems containing Americans' sensitive personal information. A dozen attorneys general, including New York's Letitia James, said in a statement that they were taking action in defense of our Constitution, our right to privacy, and the essential funding that individuals and communities nationwide are counting on." As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk is not used to being told no,' but in our country, no one is above the law," the statement said. "The President does not have the power to give away our private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon. Government officials and labor unions have been among those raising concerns about DOGE's involvement with the payment system f

S African President Ramaphosa alludes to Trump's threat in speech to nation

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appeared to respond to threats from US counterpart Donald Trump by saying in his annual speech to the nation Thursday that his country would not be bullied." The comment by Ramaphosa was seen as a reaction to Trump's pledge to cut all funding to South Africa over a new land expropriation law although Ramaphosa did not mention Trump by name. We are witnessing the rise of nationalism and protectionism, the pursuit of narrow interests and the decline of common cause, Ramaphosa said at Parliament in Cape Town. "This is the world that we, as a developing economy, must now navigate. "But we are not daunted. We will not be deterred. We are a resilient people. We will not be bullied. We will stand together as a united nation and we will speak with one voice in defence of our national interests, our sovereignty and our constitutional democracy." That part of the speech was met with applause and cheers by members of Parliament and others attending Sou

'Stop attack on democracy': Protesters rally against Trump, Musk across US

US protests: Protests erupted across the US as demonstrators voiced opposition to President Trump's policies, Elon Musk's influence, and Project 2025