6 h. ago Musk’s companies got billions from the government. Now he’s pulling up the ladder behind him | Christopher Marquis

Federal funding was critical to Tesla’s survival, yet the Doge boss now derides subsidies as government overreach Continue reading...

Politics

23 h. ago Elon Musk’s Doge conflicts of interest worth $2.37bn, Senate report says

Committee calls figure a ‘conservative estimate’ and warns Musk may seek to use his influence to avoid legal liabilityElon Musk and his companies face at least $2.37bn in legal exposure from federal investigations, litigation and regulatory oversight, according to a new report from Senate Democrats. The report attempts to put a number to Musk’s many conflicts of interest through his work with his so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge), warning that he may seek to use his influence to avoid legal liability.The report, which was published on Monday by Democratic members of the Senate homeland security committee’s permanent subcommittee on investigations, looked at 65 actual or potential actions against Musk across 11 separate agencies. Investigators calculated the financial liabilities Musk and his companies, such as Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink, may face in 45 of those actions. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago USPS workers sound alarm over Trump efforts to dismantle service: ‘The hounds are at the door

The United States Postal Service is now facing off with Trump and Elon Musk’s Doge over privatizationUS postal workers – and many who depend on them – may have sighed in relief when the Trump-appointed postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, resigned last month. Now, postal workers and others fear the worst is to come.Many feared DeJoy, a prolific Trump donor and trucking logistics executive who pushed a 10-year consolidation plan at the agency, would be the man who would finally dismantle the United States Postal Service (USPS). Now the service is facing off with an empowered Trump and Elon Musk, his billionaire backer and chainsaw-wielding leader of his government job-cutting “department of government efficiency” (Doge). Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Government borrowing surged to £151.9 billion last year in new blow to public finances

The total was the third highest borrowing figure on record behind only the pandemic year of 2021 and the year following the global financial crisis

Economics

7 d. ago Elon Musk knows he's 'out of his depth' as White House days numbered

Tensions are reportedly growing within the Trump administration as sources close to the US government claim that billionaire Elon Musk is ready to drop and walk away from his position

Events

1 week ago Outrage as Trump’s coal expansion coupled with health cuts: ‘There won’t be anyone to work in the mines’

Agencies protecting coal miners from hazards such as ‘black lung’ among those gutted by government cutsThe Trump administration’s efforts to expand coal mining while simultaneously imposing deep cuts to agencies tasked with ensuring miner health and safety has left some advocates “dumbfounded”.Agencies that protect coal miners from serious occupational hazards, including the condition best known as “black lung”, have been among those affected by major government cuts imposed by the White House and the unofficial “department of government efficiency” (Doge) run by the billionaire Elon Musk. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Doge cuts spark questions as employees supporting Musk space launches spared

Department of Transportation employees who provide support for Starlink and SpaceX launches safe amid job cutsElon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” and the Trump administration have spared the jobs of US Department of Transportation employees who provide support services for spacecraft launches by Musk’s companies, SpaceX and Starlink – a revelation that raises a new round of conflict of interest questions around Doge.In its most recent buyout announcement, the transportation department did not note that the positions spared supported Musk’s and others’ space operations. Continue reading...

Technology

2 w. ago The Latest: Trump administration freezes more than $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard University

The federal government says it’s freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus

Politics

2 w. ago Profits and revenues collapsed at UK arm of Twitter after Musk takeover

The number of UK staff was slashed by more than two thirds from 399 to 114 in 2023, accounts reveal

Technology

2 w. ago Europe's race to rearm is pointless if its adversaries are waging war online | Johnny Ryan

Ireland holds the algorithm off-switch. Ursula von der Leyen must force Dublin to use itEurope is scrambling to remilitarise. The European Commission is raising a €150bn (£129bn) defence fund and is calling on EU countries to invest €650bn (£561bn) more. Germany has cast aside its government debt limit to invest hundreds of billions of euros in defence. Poland will train every male of fighting age for battle, and envisages an army 500,000 strong. Latvia’s president has urged the rest of Europe to conscript citizens, as Latvia does. Even neutral Ireland is buying combat jets. No wonder Europe’s defence industry is booming. In just a few months, the share prices of several big weapons manufacturers have nearly doubled and doubled again. But, despite this new martial pulse, the continent is still sleepwalking towards disaster.Europe can harden its shell and sharpen its claws, but it has done little to protect its soft underbelly against political manipulation. The US is capitulating to...

Events

2 w. ago A bigger hole: Trump has already spent $155bn more than Biden. Musk now claims DOGE only saved $150bn

The Trump administration has already spent $155 billion more than former President Joe Biden did over the same period of time after their inaugurations, according to Treasury Department data. And Elon Musk is now claiming that his Department of Government Efficiency has only managed to save $150 billion.

Politics

2 w. ago Asylum seekers could save the government £4.4billion if they were allowed to work earlier

Asylum seekers could save the government billions of pounds if they were given the right to work after settling into the UK after six months, instead of the 12-month ban that is currently in place

Economics

2 w. ago Trump official who oversaw dismantling of USAID leaves US state department

Under Pete Marocco’s lead, nearly all USAID staff was fired, with funding slashed and contractors dismissedPete Marocco, the Trump administration official who played a major role in dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has left the state department, a US official said on Sunday.Donald Trump’s administration has moved to fire nearly all USAID staff, as billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” has slashed funding and dismissed contractors across the federal bureaucracy in what it calls an attack on wasteful spending. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Donald Trump feted with standing ovation as he enters UFC 314 in Miami

Trump and all the president’s men feted at UFC cardVolkanovski claims featherweight belt at UFC 314US president Donald Trump entered to a standing ovation and cheers from a crowd of thousands attending a UFC event on Saturday night, shaking hands with supporters against a backdrop of fans waving his trademark Maga hats.Just as Trump entered, he greeted podcast host Joe Rogan, who sat to the right of the president. On the other side of Trump sat Elon Musk, billionaire and chief of the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump, who accented his dark suit with a bright yellow tie, pumped his fist in the air, prompting cheers to strains of Taking Care of Business. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Billions in support for businesses braced for hammering from Donald Trump's tariffs

Government body UK Export Finance the ability to extend £20 billion of support to British businesses, while the British Business Bank will be able to hand out loans of up to £2m to small businesses

Economics

2 w. ago Trump is pushing students towards Britain – ministers, don’t let your immigration obsession stand in the way | Polly Toynbee

Beleaguered UK universities have a golden opportunity. If the government passes it up, it risks billions in revenue Shocking stories told at a US universities conference in San Diego described Donald Trump’s assaults on research grants, academics and students. Foreign students face deportation for infractions as minor as parking or speeding tickets. A reported 500 student visas have been suddenly revoked – with some students sent to deportation centres, and others told to “self-deport”. With a million foreign students warned by their universities not to travel abroad for fear of never getting back in, that’s a strong deterrent to others deciding whether to study in the US.Jo Johnson, former minster for universities, King’s College London visiting professor and chair of the Lords education committee, listening to this list of persecutions, spoke to me from San Diego. “The UK should be extending the warmest of welcomes, a safe port in a storm,” he says. Concerns about immigration numb...

Politics

2 w. ago Elon Musk’s DOGE ‘auditors’ finally getting audited by federal Government Accountability Office: report

Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s controversial DOGE is being audited by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), according to a new report.

Politics

2 w. ago US senator introduces conflict of interest bill aimed at Elon Musk

Exclusive: Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire seeks to set limits on special government employees in response to Musk’s White House roleA Democratic senator has introduced a bill that would prohibit awarding government contracts and grants to companies owned by special government employees, taking aim at Elon Musk, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO.The bill, authored by Jeanne Shaheen, the longtime Democratic New Hampshire senator, is an attempt to prevent conflicts of interest and was crafted in response to Musk’s role in the White House, where Donald Trump has designated him a special government employee, according to a Senate aide. Special government employees, which also include many members of Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge), serve a limit of 130 days and are exempt from some financial disclosure rules. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Waiting times slashed for 80,000 cancer patients after Labour's NHS cash boost

The Government invested a record £26 billion in the health service in last year’s budget, to help it recover from the pandemic and drive down waiting times

Science

3 w. ago Work on 100 rebuilding projects for crumbling schools kicks off this week

The government is spending £1.4 billion this year on urgently improving the condition of school buildings - some of which Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said were “falling apart"

Politics