Page 43 - Elon Musk

Democrats protest Trump's alleged move giving Musk's team classified info

Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee are demanding answers after they say President Donald Trump gave billionaire Elon Musk and his staff access to sensitive data and classified secrets as part of their work to overhaul the federal government. The lawmakers on Wednesday wrote to Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff, and asked what security precautions had been taken to prevent unauthorized leaks of information by staff at the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. Trump tapped Musk to run the taskforce, which has quickly gotten to work dismantling whole agencies of the federal government. As part of that effort, Musk and his staff have gained access to computer systems that the senators say contain potentially sensitive medical and financial information about millions of Americans as well as federal payroll information, classified documents, information from foreign intelligence partners and the identities of undercover agents and intelligence sources. In the .

Protests erupt across cities against Trump's policies, Project 2025, Musk

Demonstrators gathered in cities across the US on Wednesday to protest the Trump administration's early actions, decrying everything from the president's immigration crackdown to his rollback of transgender rights and a proposal to forcibly transfer Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. Protesters in Philadelphia and at state capitols in California, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana and beyond waved signs denouncing President Donald Trump; billionaire Elon Musk, the leader of Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency; and Project 2025, a hard-right playbook for American government and society. I'm appalled by democracy's changes in the last, well, specifically two weeks but it started a long time ago, Margaret Wilmeth said at a protest outside the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. So I'm just trying to put a presence into resistance. The protests were a result of a movement that has organized online under the hashtags #buildtheresistance and #50501, which stands for 50 .

Elon Musk tightens grip on federal govt as Democrats raise alarms

Elon Musk is rapidly consolidating control over large swaths of the federal government with President Donald Trump's blessing, sidelining career officials, gaining access to sensitive databases and dismantling a leading source of humanitarian assistance. The speed and scope of his work has been nothing short of stunning. In a little more than two weeks since Trump took office, the world's richest man has created an alternative power structure inside the federal government for the purpose of cutting spending and pushing out employees. None of this is happening with congressional approval, inviting a constitutional clash over the limits of presidential authority. Trump says Musk is doing his bidding Musk has been named as a special government employee, which subjects him to less stringent rules on ethics and financial disclosures than other workers. Trump has given Musk office space in the White House complex where he oversees a team of people at the so-called Department of Governmen

Trump, Musk demand termination of federal office leases through GSA

One of the next moves in President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's sweeping effort to fire government employees and curtail operations is using the agency that manages thousands of federal employee worksites around the country to cut down on office space. Last week, regional managers for the General Services Administration, or GSA, received a message from the agency's Washington headquarters to begin terminating leases on all of the roughly 7,500 federal offices nationwide, according to an email shared with The Associated Press by a GSA employee. The order seems to contradict Trump's own return-to-office mandate for federal employees, adding confusion to what was already a scramble by the GSA to find workspace, internet connections and office building security credentials for employees who had been working remotely for years. But it may reflect the Trump administration's belief that it won't need as many offices due to its efforts to fire employees or encourage them to resign. Here's

Elon Musk's 'buyout' offer accepted by more than 20,000 US federal workers

But those numbers are increasing every day, according to an official familiar with the data, and the Trump administration expects a spike in resignations

Elon Musk faces long court battle over feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

The injunction Musk asked for would freeze OpenAI's transformation to a more conventional, public benefit for-profit company, just as it's in talks to raise as much as $40 billion in a funding round

Investors bet on Musk, Tesla to make fortune under Trump as threats mount

For Elon Musk fans, it's the half a trillion-dollar bet. That is how much the stock market value of Tesla has rocketed since the presidential election, a vertiginous climb uninterrupted in recent days despite a disappointing financial report that would have sunk the stock of nearly any other company. Investors are wagering that President Donald Trump will help Musk's company more than hurt it with his plans to take an axe to reams of Washington regulations and wield tariffs to get his way with key trading partners. Less regulation? Fantastic. Trade war? No biggie. It's going to be a golden age for Tesla and Musk, said Wedbush Securities financial analyst Dan Ives, adding after an investor conference call Wednesday, This is the most bullish I've ever heard Musk. Investing in Tesla has long been a gamble. Odds were against Musk creating a successful electric car company, never mind growing it to become the world's most valuable automaker and in the process making himself the world'

Here's all you need to know about USAID and why Trump, Musk want to end it

Dozens of senior officials put on leave. Thousands of contractors laid off. A freeze put on billions of dollars in humanitarian assistance to other countries. Over the last two weeks, President Donald Trump's administration has made significant changes to the US agency charged with delivering humanitarian assistance overseas that has left aid organisations agonising over whether they can continue with programmes such as nutritional assistance for malnourished infants and children. Then-President John F Kennedy established the US Agency for International Development, known as USAID, during the Cold War. In the decades since, Republicans and Democrats have fought over the agency and its funding. Here's a look at USAID, its history and the changes made since Trump took office. What is USAID? Kennedy created USAID at the height of the United States' Cold War struggle with the Soviet Union. He wanted a more efficient way to counter Soviet influence abroad through foreign assistance and

Musk is working for Trump as a 'special govt employee': White House

Elon Musk is working for President Donald Trump as a special government employee," according to a White House official, solidifying his controversial role in the administration but sidestepping some disclosure rules that are typical of federal workers. The official, speaking Monday on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said that Musk has a government email address and office space in the White House complex. Musk, the world's richest man, has been granted broad latitude by Trump to reduce the size of the federal government. On Monday morning, the headquarters of the US Agency for International Development was abruptly shut down. Musk's team, known as the Department of Government Efficiency, also has received access to sensitive payment systems at the US Treasury Department. Democrats fear that Musk is consolidating power within the federal government, acting without accountability and potentially against the law. Special government employees are usually appoin

Elon Musk says President Donald Trump 'agreed' USAID should be shut down

The US Agency for International Development is on the cusp of being shuttered, according the Trump administration's billionaire adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk - who has been wrestling for control of the agency in recent days. Early Monday, Musk held a live session on X Spaces, previously known as Twitter Spaces, and said that he spoke in detail about USAID with the president. He agreed we should shut it down, Musk said. It became apparent that its not an apple with a worm it in, Musk said. What we have is just a ball of worms. You've got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It's beyond repair. We're shutting it down. His comments come after the administration placed two top security chiefs at USAID on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Musk's government-inspection teams, a current and a former U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday. Members of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, eventually did gain

Elon Musk says 'time to die' for USAID as officials are put on leave

Elon Musk, appointed by Trump to lead DOGE, called USAID a 'criminal organisation' after officials blocked his task force from restricted areas at its DC headquarters

DOGE 'rapidly shutting down' Treasury payments to US contractors: Musk

Musk is targeting systems that process tens of billions of dollars a day in payments for US government agencies and the officials that oversee them

Musk's DOGE commission gains access to sensitive Treasury payment systems

The Department of Government Efficiency, run by President Donald Trump's billionaire adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has gained access to sensitive Treasury data including Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems, according to two people familiar with the situation. The move by DOGE, a Trump administration task force assigned to find ways to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations, means it could have wide leeway to access important taxpayer data, among other things. The New York Times first reported the news of the group's access of the massive federal payment system. The two people who spoke to The Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden of Oregon, on Friday sent a letter to Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressing concern that officials associated with Musk may have intended to access these payment .

No White House stay for Musk. He's crashing at a DC govt office instead

Elon Musk skips a White House stay to live in a DC govt office, pushing his 'hardcore work ethic' to new extremes as he leads government cost-cutting efforts from the inside

OpenAI seeks $40 billion in fresh funding as DeepSeek disrupts AI market

The development follows concerns sparked by Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which recently introduced a highly advanced chatbot at a significantly lower cost than its American rivals, unsettling the mark

Tesla reassures investors with growth pledge, to begin robotaxi rollout

Tesla plans to launch its autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin in June and then in other cities by the end of the year

Journalism and technology: Why Elon Musk is not media's Enemy No 1

Good journalism has a place and purpose. If every X user is the media, who ensures the facts?

Trump ends teen gender transition funding; Musk has reason to cheer

US president has signed an order cutting federal funding for teen gender transitions, with Elon Musk's support adding to the controversy

Tesla gears up for 2025: Low-cost EVs, autonomous cars to hit US roads

Electric automaker Tesla is set to roll out affordable EVs and launch a paid autonomous car service in 2025, focusing on cost cuts and innovation despite a dip in vehicle deliveries last year

Elon Musk blames Don Lemon's 'invasive' interview for cancelling show on X

Now Musk is trying to get Lemon's lawsuit dismissed in California Superior Court, arguing that the relationship between X and Lemon 'went sour' after the interview