Caitlin Clark's quads, Trump-Musk bromance and 'Duck Dynasty': Your week in review
USA TODAY
RFK Jr. changes COVID-19 vaccine protocols
COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, joining Kennedy for the announcement posted in a video on X, called the change 'common sense and good science." Traditionally, immunization guidance is voted on by a CDC advisory committee; then the CDC director makes the final call. The CDC panel has not voted on Kennedy's change.
Can Trump and Musk agree to disagree?
Could there be some cooling in the Trump-Musk bromance? The president's crusade to pass his "big, beautiful" tax and spending bill through Congress took some flak from his former right-hand man, who said he was "disappointed" with the cost of the bill and complained that it "undermines the work the DOGE team is doing." (Musk has also criticized Trump's tariffs.) Asked about Musk's remarks on the spending bill, Trump cited politics: "I'm not happy about certain aspects of it, but I'm thrilled by other aspects of it. … It's got a way to go." At least one break is official, however: Musk's turbulent 130-day run as a "special government employee" is now over.
Southwest's free-checked-bag era comes to a close
It's the end of the line for free checked bags on Southwest. For the first time, the airline is now charging for the service: $35 for a first checked bag and $45 for a second bag (overweight and oversized baggage costs more). Tickets booked or changed on or before May 28 don't apply, and for some customers, new fare categories and membership perks will still earn them free checked bags. The new fees are the latest major change for Dallas-based Southwest, including a farewell to its open seating policy of more than 50 years. In a news release, the airline acknowledged that "preferences have evolved."
'Duck Dynasty' guru Phil Robertson dies
Phil Robertson, the bushy-bearded and plainspoken patriarch of the colorful Louisiana family featured on A&E Network's 'Duck Dynasty," has died. He was 79 and had battled Alzheimer's disease and other health problems, his family said. His family-run hunting products business, Duck Commander, was the epicenter of "Duck Dynasty," which ran from 2012 to 2017 on the back of the clan's three core tenets: "faith, family and ducks.' The duck call will not go silent, however; a spinoff, "Duck Dynasty: The Revival," premieres June 1.
Caitlin Clark is hurting, and so is the WNBA
Call it the Caitlin Clark effect − in reverse. The Indiana Fever's star guard is out for at least two weeks after she strained her left quad in a loss to the New York Liberty, which meant she would be sidelined for at least the next four games. The WNBA is feeling the pain, too: Ticket prices have plunged since news of Clark's injury. It's especially disappointing for the Fever's road game June 7 against the Chicago Sky − the latest Clark vs. Angel Reese clash − which had been moved to the 23,000-plus-seat United Center to meet demand for tickets. − Compiled by Robert Abitbol, USA TODAY copy chief
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One of the most attractive — and sometimes secretive — ways the wealthy donate money could soon get even more popular
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The 2025 survey of DAF donors found that of 2,100 respondents, who were surveyed between July to September 2024, 96% had a net worth of more than $1 million. "I definitely see a trend away from private foundations," Heist said. Rebecca Moffett, the president of Vanguard Charitable, a prominent DAF provider, said she's seeing the same pattern. The main draw has to do with taxes, according to data and the experts. In the 2025 survey, 62% of donors said tax advantages were a strong motivation for opening a DAF account. Jeffrey Correa, Senior Director of US philanthropy at the International Rescue Committee, told BI that there's been an "explosion" of major donors giving through DAFs. The ability to contribute non-cash assets is also a big factor. Donating appreciated assets lets the donor avoid paying capital gains taxes (in the 2025 survey, 51% of respondents said reducing capital gains taxes was a big consideration). 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Musk Throws an Epic Self-Pity Party About Everyone Being Mean to Him
Elon Musk is complaining about the firestorm of criticism that has engulfed his work with the Trump administration. After calling out President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' for undermining the work of his so-called Department of Government Efficiency—which Trump tasked with culling thousands of workers from the federal government—the Tesla billionaire is also claiming that his task force is being unfairly blamed for the failings of others. 'DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything,' Musk told The Washington Post. 'So, like, something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it.' Speaking on the day that yet another of his SpaceX Starship launches ended in fiery failure, Musk also groused about how his role with DOGE has led to an intense backlash against his companies. 'People were burning Teslas,' Musk told the Post. 'Why would you do that? That's really uncool.' Musk further expressed dismay that his work with DOGE has proven to be more difficult than he anticipated, having only saved a fraction of the $2 trillion he vowed to cut from the federal budget. 'The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,' he said. 'I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.' Musk's comments came after he expressed disappointment in Trump's beloved 'Big Beautiful Bill' for sabotaging his work with DOGE. 'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' Musk said during an interview with CBS News. 'I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful, but I don't know if it could be both.' After initially promising to cut $2 trillion in October, Musk later walked back that figure in January by admitting the goal was a 'best-case scenario.' He nevertheless maintained DOGE had a 'good shot' at saving $1 trillion. Since Musk announced his intention in to 'significantly' reduce his time with DOGE as Tesla sales plummet, the cost-cutting task force is still only claiming to have found $170 billion in savings—though questions remain over how much of the savings can be verified. Meanwhile, Trump's bill—which will partly fund tax cuts for the rich through sweeping cuts to Medicaid—will add around $3.8 trillion to the national deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Despite feeling burned by the administration, Musk has said he still plans to allocate some of his time to working with DOGE, although he has since downgraded the department's aspirations from decimating the federal workforce to improving their tech support. 'There's, like, so many situations where the computers are so broken,' even in the intelligence world,' Musk told the Post. His efforts will now be spent 'a bit more like tackling projects with the highest gain for the pain, which still means a lot of good things in terms of reducing waste and fraud.' Polling data has suggested that Musk is among the least popular figures in Trump's administration. Analysts also say that furious anti-Musk protests in the U.S. and overseas have contributed to severe brand damage for some of his companies. In Europe, where Musk has faced intense blowback for supporting far-right politicians, Tesla sales roughly halved in April compared with last year's figures. In addition to his lack of polling popularity, Musk's bona fides as a political operator have also come into question. After his preferred candidate suffered a crushing loss in the Wisconsin state Supreme Court election despite Musk's record $21 million spend on the race, Musk has vowed to cut back on his political donations in the future. 'I think I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics,' Musk told Ars Technica on Tuesday when asked if he thought his activities over the last year had harmed SpaceX. 'It's less than people would think, because the media is going to over-represent any political stuff, because political bones of contention get a lot of traction in the media.' 'It's not like I left the companies,' he added. 'It was just relative time allocation that probably was a little too high on the government side, and I've reduced that significantly in recent weeks.'
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Elon Musk Is Stepping Down from DOGE — Here's What's Next
For months, Elon Musk played an unusually hands-on role in one of the federal government's most controversial experiments: the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Created with the promise of slashing waste and 'running America like a business,' the initiative gave Musk sweeping authority over everything from agency budgets to personnel decisions. Now, after just 130 days, he's walking away — well, sort of. In a pre-taped CBS interview that aired Sunday night, Musk confirmed his departure — but not before taking a swipe at a Trump-backed budget bill and, for the first time, admitting he doesn't always agree with the administration he's been helping to shape. The fallout was fast: Within 24 hours of the revelation, he was out at DOGE, off the advisory roster, and back to defending himself on multiple legal fronts. But even as the White House insists the billionaire is still 'a friend to the president,' questions remain: What pushed Musk out? What happens to DOGE without him? We took a closer look. One of the more buzzed-about moments in the sit-down came when Musk opened up — somewhat reluctantly — about his differences with the Trump administration. Even though he said he'd rather not go there, he admitted that while he's on board with 'much of what the administration does,' they don't always see eye to eye. 'There are things that I don't entirely agree with,' he said. He added that speaking out is tricky. 'It creates a bone of contention,' he explained. 'I'm a little stuck in a bind, where I'm like, well, I don't wanna, you know, speak up against the administration, but I also don't wanna take responsibility for everything this administration's doing,' he said. But that wasn't even the comment that really got him in hot water. What apparently did? Musk took a jab at the House Republicans' recent budget bill — the one Trump had labeled the 'big, beautiful bill.' Musk didn't hold back: 'I think a bill can be big, or it can be beautiful — but I don't know if it can be both,' he said, adding that it was just his 'personal opinion.' That remark seemed to hit a nerve. CBS reported that the clip of Musk's criticism made its way all the way to the White House, and within 24 hours, Musk announced he was done with his role in the Trump administration. No more DOGE, no more government advisory role. Officially, he said his 130-day stint as an advisor had simply run its course. But up until that point, he'd been saying he still planned to contribute part-time. So, make of that what you will. Not exactly. On Elon Musk's final day as a special government employee, Donald Trump dismissed the idea of a real departure, telling reporters Musk 'is not really leaving' and would still drop by the White House from time to time because DOGE is his 'baby.' Privately, an unnamed advisor echoed that sentiment, telling CBS that Musk would 'continue to be a friend to the president' and describing him as an ongoing 'adviser.' At DOGE, Musk launched an aggressive cost-cutting campaign that quickly drew scrutiny. Over four months, DOGE carried out sweeping cuts across the federal government: 250,000 workers were fired or bought out, and funding for key climate agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was slashed. The initiative claims it saved $160 billion, but a report from the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service warns those savings could cost taxpayers $135 billion this fiscal year alone. Adding to the pressure, legal challenges are mounting. Just last week, a federal judge allowed a case questioning Musk's and DOGE's authority within the federal government to proceed. Several more suits are still pending. Now, Musk appears to be turning his attention back to his business empire. Tesla's profits have plunged 71 percent, and his net worth has dropped by $100 billion. In his CBS interview, he complained that what was 'starting to happen' was 'a bit unfair,' adding that DOGE 'became the whipping boy for everything.' During his time in government, Musk has faced violent threats, forced re-hirings, clashes with Cabinet officials, and reports of drug use. According to The New York Times, he reportedly told people he was using ketamine so heavily during the 2024 presidential election that it was affecting his bladder. He was also believed to have taken Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, and reportedly carried a daily medication box with about 20 pills, including some marked as Adderall. Musk denied the report alleging he used illegal drugs during last year's campaign, calling the newspaper's claims false. He has previously stated that he holds a prescription for ketamine. The White House has similarly dismissed the reports. When asked on Friday whether Musk's alleged drug use was a concern, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller responded, 'The drugs that we're concerned about are the drugs running across the southern border.' Musk first dodged a question about his drug use during a bizarre farewell appearance with Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, where he showed up with a black eye — something he said resulted from roughhousing with his 4-year-old son. It doesn't look like DOGE is going away anytime soon. Following Musk's departure, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the initiative will continue under the direction of remaining staff. Still, without the tech mogul at the helm, DOGE may become a quieter, more conventional operation. The chaos, spectacle, and headlines Musk brought to the project could give way to a more bureaucratic approach, efficient or not. Whether that shift helps or hinders DOGE's impact remains to be seen. Either way, DOGE is entering a new chapter — one that may look very different from the last. The post Elon Musk Is Stepping Down from DOGE — Here's What's Next appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
