34 h. ago The first major referendum on Trump and Musk comes this week

Analysis: Elon Musk and Democrats both have their eyes on Florida’s congressional race and Wisconsin’s supreme court, writes Eric Garcia

Politics

6 d. ago Musk's 'what did you do last week' email to government staffers suffers spectacular fail as DOGE buckles

'First Buddy' Elon Musk 's order for all federal employees to send a weekly list of their accomplishments has hit a snag.

Politics

9 d. ago The Guardian view on China's EV breakthrough: helped by the kind of strategic state Elon Musk despises | Editorial

BYD, a Chinese carmaker once dismissed by Tesla’s CEO, claims to have outpaced western rivals with charging tech that’s as fast as filling petrol enginesTesla’s boss, Elon Musk, once thought the idea that China’s BYD could compete with his company was laughable. In 2011, he smugly dismissed the Chinese carmaker as unimpressive, its products unattractive and its technology “not very strong”. He’s not laughing now – and not just because Tesla’s stock has plummeted amid a boycott by motorists protesting against his embrace of far-right politics. More pressingly, Mr Musk, like other western carmakers, has been outpaced by BYD.Last week, the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer unveiled new charging technology that, it says, is capable of delivering 400km (249 miles) of driving range in just five minutes – as quick as filling up a petrol car. The system, released next month, will be fitted in two EVs, priced from 270,000 yuan (£29,000) – comparable to Tesla’s most affordable model ...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump administration briefing: US president to speak to Putin this week; Democrats train fire on Musk

Russian president ‘accepts the philosophy’ of US’s Ukraine ceasefire terms, says US envoy; Musk’s popularity falls – key US politics stories from Sunday at a glanceUS president Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that he expected the US president to speak with Vladimir Putin this week, adding that the Russian president “accepts the philosophy” of Trump’s ceasefire and peace terms.Witkoff told CNN that discussions with Putin over several hours last week were “positive” and “solution-based”. He declined to confirm when asked whether Putin’s demands included the surrender of Ukrainian forces in Kursk; international recognition of Ukrainian territory seized by Russia as Russian; limits on Ukraine’s ability to mobilise; a halt to western military aid; and a ban on foreign peacekeepers. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Honk if you hate Elon’: Protests against Musk’s Tesla spread to London

Protests against Elon Musk’s Tesla spread to London this week, calling for people to boycott the company.

Events

2 w. ago Judge orders DOGE to turn over top secret records and demands Musk justify mass federal layoffs

On Wednesday, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan turned the tables on DOGE three weeks after Musk's 'what did you do last week' email to staffers sparked mass protests.

Events

3 w. ago Pronatalists are ascendant on the right. Can they agree on how to make Americans have more babies?

The movement unites ‘family values’ conservatives and tech bro rightwingers. Will this incoherent coalition hold?In his first address to the United States after becoming vice-president, JD Vance stood on stage and proclaimed: “I want more babies in the United States of America.” Weeks later, Donald Trump signed an executive order pledging support for in vitro fertilization, recognizing “the importance of family formation and that our nation’s public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children”.In late January, a Department of Transportation memo directed the agency to prioritize projects that “give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average”. And last week, it was reported that Elon Musk, the unelected head of the government-demolishing “department of governmental efficiency” and a man who has said that the “collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far”, had become a fat...

Politics

3 w. ago The rise of pronatalism: why Musk, Vance and the right want women to have more babies

The movement unites ‘family values’ conservatives and tech bro rightwingers. Will this incoherent coalition hold?In his first address to the United States after becoming vice-president, JD Vance stood on stage and proclaimed: “I want more babies in the United States of America.” Weeks later, Donald Trump signed an executive order pledging support for in vitro fertilization, recognizing “the importance of family formation and that our nation’s public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children”.In late January, a Department of Transportation memo directed the agency to prioritize projects that “give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average”. And last week, it was reported that Elon Musk, the unelected head of the government-demolishing “department of governmental efficiency” and a man who has said that the “collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far”, had become a fat...

Politics

3 w. ago Donald Trump hails 'Truly great American' Elon Musk in mad rant promising to 'buy new Tesla'

Tesla has seen share prices flailing for the seventh straight week with experts believing that Elon Musk's entry into right-wing politics is turning off potential customers

Politics

3 w. ago Musk calls social security a ‘Ponzi scheme’. The real con is what Trump’s peddling

Social security is a highly efficient safety net. But the president’s crypto plans and job cuts leave Americans holding the bagElon Musk said on Joe Rogan’s show last week that social security is “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time”.Rubbish. In a Ponzi scheme, a con artist lures investors into a fake investment project, pockets the cash, and then gets new “investors” to funnel cash to the older ones – until new recruits slow down and the whole thing collapses. Suckers are left holding worthless bags. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Moon missions, Musk v scientists, sperm and longevity – podcast

Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample discuss three intriguing science stories from the week. From two private moon landings to the controversy over Elon Musk’s continued membership of the Royal Society, and a new study making a link between men’s health and their sperm qualityStriking images show Blue Ghost Mission 1’s successful moon landingElon Musk survives as fellow of Royal Society despite anger among scientists Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Federal workers face second Musk deadline to explain their work last week

Federal employees face a midnight deadline to comply with Elon Musk’s second demand for reports on their recent accomplishments

Events