Tag Archives: Elon Musk

Daily Beast: John Roberts Personally Delivers DOGE Win for Trump

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Chief Justice John Roberts has personally shielded the Department of Government Efficiency from having to hand over reams of internal data.

Acting as an individual, Roberts temporarily blocked two orders from a lower court that instructed DOGE to turn over thousands of pages of documents and have its administrator, Amy Gleason, sit for a deposition.

The emergency stay only required Robert’s approval, not the entire Supreme Court’s, as he is the justice who handles these requests when they arise out of the Washington, D.C., courts.

The stay is temporary, likely only to last a few days. It allows the court time to decide whether it wants to consider the case on its merits and make a ruling.

The question at stake in the case is whether DOGE has to fulfill public information requests under the Freedom of Information Act. The case hinges on whether the group, which has been led by Elon Musk, is a government agency.

The Trump administration has argued that DOGE is merely an advisory group to President Donald Trump and therefore does not have to hand over its data.

So for now, at least, there will be no sunshine.

John Roberts Personally Delivers DOGE Win for Trump
The chief justice intervened on the agency’s behalf.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/chief-justice-roberts-personally-delivers-doge-data-win-for-trump

Huffington Post: Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Over Here Fighting With An AI Bot About God

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When the congresswoman posted to her personal account a list of her attributes — Christian faith foremost among them — another X user asked Grok if she really can be considered a Christian. 

The bot offered an evenhanded reply.

“Whether she’s ‘really’ a Christian is subjective, depending on personal and theological views. Her faith appears genuine to her, but public actions create controversy,” it said, in part. 

Said Marjorie:

“When people give up their own discernment, stop seeking the truth, and depend on AI to analyze information, they will be lost.”

She at least got that one right. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Another user asked Grok for a yes or no answer on whether Greene’s public comments and voting record align with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

“No,” it said.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/marjorie-taylor-greene-spars-with-ai-robot-grok_n_6830b84de4b0ca4a5f567f12

Alternet: ‘Fake news and propaganda’: MTG erupts at Musk’s ‘non-human AI’ after it doubts her faith

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Grok – the artificial intelligence (AI) built for X owner Elon Musk’s social media platform – recently questioned whether Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was a real Christian, which was apparently a bridge too far for the far-right lawmaker.

The Daily Beast first reported on the spat between Greene and Grok, noting that it began with one X user asking Grok whether Greene was “really a Christian” in response to a tweet in which she called herself “an imperfect sinner saved by grace and faith in Jesus.” The AI told the user: “Greene’s Christian nationalism and support for conspiracy theories, like QAnon, spark debate.”

“Critics, including religious leaders, argue her actions contradict Christian values of love and unity,” Grok added, after saying “whether she’s ‘really’ a Christian is subjective.”

Poor Marjorie!

https://www.alternet.org/mtg-musk-ai

Irish Star: Elon Musk embarrassed as Social Security ‘fraud’ claim debunked by new data

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 Musk and fellow DOGE proponents’ assertions about revamping Social Security due to colossal fraud losses have been met with skepticism.

Fortune reports that Doge’s bid to transform the government’s main safety-net program, citing claims of it hemorrhaging vast sums to fraud, despite Musk’s team being denied permission to view official documents.

Musk, who had a humiliating screaming match with a Trump official, has boldly claimed that his team has unearthed weekly fraudulent entitlement payments totaling a staggering $100 billion, calling the situation ‘utterly insane. ‘

During an April Fox News interview, Social Security department staffer Aram Moghaddassi concurred with Musk’s sentiment, stating that 40% of calls they receive about altering direct-deposit data are from tricksters.

…

However, according to Fortune – which referenced a government technology-focused news source, the actual frequency of phone-related fraud is minuscule, barely exceeding a fraction of 1%.

Nextgov/FCW snagged an internal scoop revealing that out of 110,000 Social Security claims, merely two have been identified as highly probable for fraud. The tech news site indicates less than 1% of claims are even slightly suspicious for fraudulent activity.

Elon Musk embarrassed as Social Security ‘fraud’ claim debunked by new data
Claims from Elon Musk and the Department of Government Employees (DOGE) that the Social Security program is losing billions of dollars, despite Musk being blocked from viewing official files, to fraud are being challenged by new data

https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/elon-musk-social-security-doge-35277349

Associated Press: Defense Secretary Hegseth, bedeviled by leaks, orders more restrictions on press at Pentagon

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Bedeviled by leaks to the media during his short tenure, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a series of restrictions on the press late Friday that include banning reporters from entering wide swaths of the Pentagon without a government escort — areas where the press has had access in past administrations as it covers the activities of the world’s most powerful military.

Newly restricted areas include his office and those of his top aides and all of the different locations across the mammoth building where the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Space Force maintain press offices.

The media will also be barred from offices of the Pentagon’s senior military leadership, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, without Hegseth’s approval and an escort from his aides. The staff of the Joint Chiefs has traditionally maintained a good relationship with the press.

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
Step out of line, the men come and take you away

Defense Secretary Hegseth, bedeviled by leaks, orders more restrictions on press at Pentagon
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered further restrictions on how the press operates at the Pentagon.

https://apnews.com/article/military-pentagon-hegseth-press-access-ff9ed0431848cae8816108a8b19c640f

Fortune: Influencer who attended Trump’s memecoin dinner says he got a ‘Walmart steak’—and no access to the president

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Nicholas Pinto, a 25-year-old social media influencer, accumulated more than $360,000 in President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency to attend an “unforgettable Gala DINNER” with the commander-in-chief. The food, though, was forgettable. “Trash,” Pinto texted Fortune during the banquet. “Walmart steak, man.”

The menu included a “Trump organic field green salad” and an “entrée duet” of filet mignon and pan-seared halibut. “Everyone at my table was saying the food was some of the worst food that they ever had,” said Pinto after the meal.

…

Was the price tag worth it? “I was hoping for either Big Macs or pizza,” Pinto said, referring to the president’s well-known taste for McDonald’s. “That would have been better than the food that we were served.”

…

Pinto was still hungry after the underwhelming meal. “The only good part,” he told Fortune, “[was] the bread and the butter.”

Pinto must not have bought enough of King Donald’s crypto, clearly not enough to qualify for the White House tour. Poor baby.

Influencer who attended Trump’s memecoin dinner says he got a ‘Walmart steak’—and no access to the president

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/influencer-who-attended-trump-s-memecoin-dinner-says-he-got-a-walmart-steak-and-no-access-to-the-president/ar-AA1FmsvQ

Daily Beast: Tiny Agency That Stood Up to DOGE Gets Its Building Back

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 small federal agency forced out of its headquarters by the Trump administration has regained control of its building after a federal judge declared the DOGE takeover “null and void.”

U.S. Institute of Peace acting president George Moose reentered his Washington office on Wednesday for the first time since March, when he and many other agency leaders were booted out by DOGE staffers who declared them “unnecessary.”

“We are now back in the building and we intend to resume our stewardship and custodianship,” Moose told reporters in an impromptu briefing outside the USIP building. “It is not just the platform from which we’ve been doing our work—it is a symbol of the aspirations and the intent of the American people to be seen and to be peacemakers in the world.”

Tiny Agency That Stood Up to DOGE Gets Its Building Back
The U.S. Institute of Peace regained control of its headquarters after it was forced out by DOGE in March.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/small-agency-that-stood-up-to-doge-gets-its-building-back

Boing Boing: Trump Administration shilling for Elon Musk

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Using the power of the US taxpayer for Elon Musk’s sake, the US State Department demands that Starlink be given access to markets across Africa if those nations want to receive aid.

Corruption, anyone? How much more obvious can it be?

Trump Administration shilling for Elon Musk
Using the power of the US taxpayer for Elon Musk’s sake, the US State Department demands that Starlink be given access to markets across Africa if those nations want to receive aid.
Trump Administration shilling for Elon Musk

Associated Press: Trump’s $600 million war chest: How he plans to wield his power in the midterms and beyond

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Between a barrage of executive orders, foreign trips and norm-shattering proclamations, Donald Trump has also been busy raking in cash.

The president has amassed a war chest of at least $600 million in political donations heading into the midterm elections, according to three people familiar with the matter. It’s an unprecedented sum in modern politics, particularly for a lame-duck president who is barred by the U.S. Constitution from running again.

The only way for MAGA & King Donald to survive is to buy their way through the mid-term elections in 2026.

Trump’s $600 million war chest: How he plans to wield his power in the midterms and beyond
Between a barrage of executive orders, foreign trips and norm-shattering proclamations, President Donald Trump has also been busy raking in cash.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-fundraising-midterms-leverage-ccee4d19d5b41f08504370839fb36364

MSNBC: Musk’s influence won’t fade just because he says he’s pulling back on political spending

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He’s still the world’s richest person, he still has a relationship with the world’s most powerful man, and he can still do a lot more damage.

Not too long ago, Musk was working to position himself as the kingmaker of the Republican Party. Members of Congress were terrified of his money and influence — and the possibility of a primary challenge. For now, that fear may be over, or at least diminished, but don’t underestimate the damage that Musk has done and will continue to do behind the scenes.

While Musk’s efforts to eliminate waste and fraud in the federal government have been nothing short of a disaster, he has still managed to bank some big wins during the first few months of the Trump administration — at least for himself.

As NBC News reports, Musk’s “regulatory problems have started to fade into the past.” At the Agriculture Department, Trump fired the person who had been investigating Musk’s company Neuralink. At the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, DOGE cuts have potentially hobbled regulators’ ability to enforce the law against Tesla and X. Trump’s Justice Department has also dropped a case against Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX.

Musk also appears to have succeeded in using his clout and government access to get his companies more business. His ventures are set to rake in billions in new government contracts.

So, while Musk says he is taking a step back from political spending, that does not mean we’ve seen the last of his influence in government. It’s too late for that. He’s still the world’s richest man, he still has a relationship with the world’s most powerful man, and he can still do a lot more damage.

Charlie Sykes: Musk’s influence won’t fade just because he says he’s pulling back on political spending
He’s still the world’s richest person, he still has a relationship with the world’s most powerful man, and he can still do a lot more damage.

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/elon-musk-political-spending-trump-influence-rcna208261