26 m. ago Musk says failure to respond to achievements email will result in sacking – US politics live

US office for personal management, which manages federal workforce, says that responding to Musk is not mandatoryThe Kremlin appeared to contradict Donald Trump’s assertion that Russia was open to European peacekeepers being deployed in Ukraine, and referred reporters to an earlier statement that such a move would be unacceptable to Moscow.Russia has repeatedly said it opposes having Nato troops on the ground in Ukraine, with foreign minister Sergei Lavrov saying last week that Moscow would view that as a “direct threat” to Russia’s sovereignty, even if the troops operated there under a different flag, Reuters reports.There is a position on this matter that was expressed by the Russian foreign minister, Lavrov. I have nothing to add to this and nothing to comment on. I leave this without comment. Continue reading...

Politics

47 m. ago The Latest: Musk renews threat to fire federal workers despite pushback from various agencies

Elon Musk is vowing yet again to fire any federal workers who don’t respond to an email asking them to list five things they accomplished last week

Events

2 h. ago Tesla sales almost halve in Europe as Musk faces criticism over Trump ties

Tech billionaire, a close adviser to the US president, is a vocal supporter of Germany’s far-right AfD partyBusiness live – latest updatesSales of new Tesla cars almost halved in Europe last month, indicating waning demand for the US carmaker’s vehicles as its chief executive Elon Musk intervened repeatedly in the politics on both sides of the Atlantic.The Texas-based carmaker sold 9,945 vehicles in Europe in January, down 45% from last year’s 18,161, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). Tesla’s share of the market dropped to 1% from 1.8%. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago Elon Musk's extreme breeding rants in full and his brazen offers to donate sperm

Billionaire Elon Musk's obsession with increasing the global birth rate is said to have led to making unusual offers to family and friends - and he's confronted a global superstar too

Politics

2 h. ago Star Wars film boss Kathleen Kennedy will 'step down' this year months after Elon Musk said she'd turned the franchise 'woke'

Kennedy joined Lucasfilm in 2012 as co-chair alongside George Lucas, stepping up when Disney took over and Lucas left.

Events

2 h. ago Trump’s DOGE ‘slash and burn’ approach slammed for not saving money

‘It’s like confiscating used ammunition after it’s been shot’, expert says

Politics

4 h. ago Elon Musk issues new ultimatum to federal workers after 'what did you do last week' email

It comes despite the Trump administration telling staff tehy did not have to respond

Politics

5 h. ago Grimes makes privacy plea for her children with Elon Musk after viral White House clips

‘I think fame is something you should consent to,’ singer said

Society

5 h. ago Look at Donald Trump and his gang of broligarchs – and tell me we don’t need a wealth tax | Brian Cox

I played a fictional billionaire on TV. It’s time world leaders got serious about taxing the real onesBrian Cox played Logan Roy in HBO’s Succession and is a supporter of Patriotic Millionaires InternationalYou could be forgiven for thinking the second coming of Donald Trump was fiction. Unfortunately, it’s not – the threat he and his “broligarchs” bring to people around the world is very, very real. Last month Trump, surrounded by his uber-rich friends, was inaugurated the 47th president, while his political supporters sat outside in the cold – the perfect metaphor for who really matters in this presidency.Among the clique were the three richest men in the world: Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and top dog Elon Musk, who personally poured $277m into Trump’s election campaign, increasing his own wealth by $170bn as a result.Brian Cox played Logan Roy in HBO’s Succession and is a supporter of Patriotic Millionaires International Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago New document casts doubt on Trump admin denials about $400m ‘armored Tesla’ contract: report

After controversy, officials quietly edited the record to eliminate mention of Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company

Politics

6 h. ago ‘It’s bedlam’: Musk renews federal agencies showdown with ominous new firing ultimatum

The DOGE boss jumps past his midnight deadline to fight another day

Politics

7 h. ago One in three contracts canceled by DOGE won’t save Trump’s government any money

DOGE’s ‘slash and burn’ approach is being slammed as ‘pointless’

Politics

7 h. ago Bedlam! Musk triggers new showdown with federal agencies with ominous new firing ultimatum

The DOGE boss jumps past his midnight deadline to fight another day

Politics

8 h. ago Ashley St. Clair's desperate attempts to get Elon Musk's attention come to light amid 'baby trap' allegations

The 26-year-old has been consistently posting about and to Musk on his social media platform X well before they ever met.

Politics

8 h. ago Bedlam: Musk in new showdown with federal agencies as he issues ominous new worker ultimatum

The DOGE boss jumps past his midnight deadline to fight another day

Politics

8 h. ago Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by DOGE are expected to produce no savings

Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that the Trump administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save any money

Politics

9 h. ago GOP congressman claims ‘God has a plan’ for fired federal workers at yet another hostile town hall

Missouri representative Mark Alford was the latest Republican to provoke shouts and heckles while attempting to defend Donald Trump and Elon Musk

Events

10 h. ago Trump administration briefing: chaos caused by Musk’s Doge; fears over far

From the latest in Musk’s fight to fire federal workers to concern over appointment of Dan Bongino – key US politics stories from Monday at a glanceConfusion continued on Monday over the demands made by Elon Musk of federal workers. Just hours after the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had directed agencies that responses to its email were optional, Musk again threatened federal workers. He wrote on X, the platform he owns: “Subject to the discretion of the president, they will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.” President Donald Trump backed Musk earlier Monday, two days after OPM initially sent an email asking federal workers to list five things they accomplished last week. Several government agencies, including the FBI and state department, have told their employees not to respond.Here are the biggest stories in US politics on Monday, 24 February. Continue reading...

Politics

11 h. ago Glimmer of hope as No10 'recognises the strength of feeling' over Big Tech AI raid

Downing Street conceded that its controversial proposal to give AI firms a copyright exception may not emerge as the final option following a powerful campaign by the Mail.

Politics

11 h. ago US personnel office walks back email ultimatum from Musk to workers

OPM says failure to respond to email will not be considered resignation but Trump ally digs in and threatens job lossesThe US government’s human resources office has walked back an ultimatum issued by Elon Musk that would have forced its workers to resign if they did not submit a bullet-point list of their recent accomplishments, in one of the first signs of internal pushback to the Tesla billionaire’s campaign to downsize the federal workforce.The demand, made in an email sent to million of government employees over the weekend and quickly sued over by a coalition of labor and advocacy groups, represented the latest salvo by the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), the Trump-sanctioned cost-cutting initiative Musk chairs. Continue reading...

Politics