Experts issue warning over increasing threat to millions of vulnerable people: 'A fight for global justice'
Climate-related poverty is a silent but devastating consequence of rising global temperatures.
According to a report by the Daily Observer, some of the poorest communities, often the least responsible for carbon pollution, are facing harsher living conditions, economic instability, and even displacement.
Climate-related poverty happens when major environmental changes make it harder for people to meet their basic needs. Rising sea levels and disasters like hurricanes, floods, and wildfires can significantly impact resources, disrupt livelihoods, and result in economic hardships.
And when flash floods wash away entire villages or droughts cripple food production, it's the poorest communities — the ones that don't have enough to recover on their own — that struggle the hardest.
An example of climate-induced hardship is 2013's Typhoon Haiyan, which displaced millions of Filipinos and destroyed homes and livelihoods. In another part of the world, long droughts and desertification in Africa's Sahel wiped out farms, leading to food insecurity and malnutrition.
The growing crisis strains healthcare, infrastructure, and government resources — problems already visible in areas battling severe drought and water shortages. Even regions once safe from extreme weather are now seeing displacement risks as the climate changes.
While investing in solutions requires significant resources, ignoring the problem costs far more. Rising hunger, mass migration, and global conflicts are already warning signs. Tackling climate-induced poverty today is not only smart but also necessary. Fighting it is also "a fight for global justice," as the Daily Observer noted.
At-risk nations can invest in drought-tolerant crops and solar-powered irrigation to safeguard food supplies. They can also build flood defenses, permeable pavement, and early warning systems to help protect their communities from future disasters.
Switching to renewable energy can reduce dependence on dirty energy sources, which account for the bulk of the human-caused pollution warming our climate, as NASA notes.
Meanwhile, programs aimed at bolstering local resilience are essential to make climate change solutions more accessible for all. By investing in sustainable strategies now, we can protect vulnerable communities and help foster a safer future for everyone.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Elon Musk trades threats with Trump: What it could mean for SpaceX launches in Florida
When President Donald Trump took office in January, he began offering plenty of signs that his goals for U.S. spaceflight aligned closely with those of billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk. Now those goals, which included making reaching Mars during Trump's second term a top priority, appear to be up in the air amid an increasingly volatile fallout between two of the world's most powerful men. As insults have turned to threats, Trump has suggested he'd hit Musk where it could hurt most: His wallet. Musk's SpaceX has spent years positioning itself at the center of American civil and military spaceflight – a profitable relationship that has made the company's CEO incredibly wealthy. In response, Musk has floated – and then retracted – the idea of decommissioning a SpaceX vehicle critical to NASA's spaceflight program. The vast majority of SpaceX's missions with NASA and the government launch from Cape Canaveral, either from the space agency's Kennedy Space Center or the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Serious threats, or empty words? That remains to be seen as Musk and Trump reportedly consider a détente. In the meantime, here's what to know about what's at stake if the U.S. government's relationship with SpaceX were to crumble: U.S. spaceflight: Trump looks to axe many NASA space missions that launched from Florida The feud between Trump and his former top advisory escalated in a dramatic fashion when the president threatened to cut off the taxpayer dollars that have fueled the growth of SpaceX, of which Musk is the CEO. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Trump said in a post on his social media platform. "I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" In all, Musk and his businesses have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits, a Washington Post analysis found. How the potential fallout between two of the world's most powerful men could affect U.S. spaceflight ambitions remains to be seen. NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens said in a post on social media site X that 'NASA will continue to execute upon the President's vision for the future of space.' 'We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the President's objectives in space are met,' Stevens wrote. Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp., more widely known as SpaceX, in 2002. The commercial spaceflight company is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. SpaceX benefits from billions of dollars in contracts from NASA and the Department of Defense, which use many of the company's spacecraft to help launch government missions. SpaceX also conducts many of its own rocket launches, most using the Falcon 9 rocket. That includes a regular cadence of deliveries of Starlink internet satellites into orbit from both California and Florida, and occasional privately-funded commercial crewed missions on the Dragon. SpaceX is also planning to bring its Starship operations to Florida by the end of 2025. The most recent of SpaceX's private human spaceflights, a mission known as Fram2, took place in April. SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024. SpaceX provides launch services to the Pentagon, including the launch of classified satellites and other payloads. CEO Gwynne Shotwell has said the company has about $22 billion in government contracts, according to Reuters. The vast majority of that, about $15 billion, is derived from NASA. SpaceX's famous two-stage Falcon 9 rocket ‒ one of the world's most active ‒ is routinely the rocket of choice to get many NASA missions off the ground. For instance, the rocket is due in the days ahead to help propel a four-person crew of private astronauts to the International Space Station for a venture with NASA known as Axiom Mission 4. NASA also has plans to use SpaceX's Starship in its Artemis lunar missions to ferry astronauts aboard the Orion capsule from orbit to the moon's surface. The rocket, which is in development, has yet to reach orbit in any of its nine flight tests beginning in April 2023. SpaceX's Dragon capsule is also a famous vehicle that is widely used for a variety of spaceflights. The capsule, which sits atop the Falcon 9 for launches to orbit, is capable of transporting both NASA astronauts and cargo to the space station. Under NASA's commercial crew program, the U.S. space agency has been paying SpaceX for years to conduct routine spaceflights to the International Space Station using the company's own launch vehicles. The first of SpaceX's Crew missions ferrying astronauts to the orbital outpost on the Dragon began in 2020, with the tenth and most recent contingent reaching the station in March for about a six-month stay. Standing nearly 27 feet tall and about 13 feet wide, Dragon capsules can carry up to seven astronauts into orbit, though most of SpaceX's Crew missions feature a crew of four. The Dragon spacecraft also was the vehicle NASA selected to bring home the two NASA astronauts who rode the doomed Boeing Starliner capsule to the space station in June 2024. Certifying the Starliner capsule for operation would give NASA a second vehicle in addition to Dragon for regular spaceflights to orbit. Because Boeing is still developing its Starliner capsule, Dragon is the only U.S. vehicle capable of carrying astronauts to and from the space station. It's also one of four vehicles contracted to transport cargo and other supplies to the orbital laboratory. For that reason, Musk's threat Thursday, June 5 to decommission the Dragon "immediately" would be a severe blow to NASA if he were to follow through on it. Musk, though, appears to already be backing off on the suggestion, which he made in response to Trump's own threats. In response to a user who advised Musk to "Cool off and take a step back for a couple days," Musk replied: 'Good advice. Ok, we won't decommission Dragon.' Seven astronauts are aboard the International Space Station, including three Americans. Four of the astronauts rode a SpaceX Dragon to the station for a mission known as Crew-10, while the remaining three launched on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Contributing: Joey Garrison, Josh Meyer, USA TODAY; Reuters Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX at center of Trump, Musk feud: What it could mean for Florida
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
A complete guide to the Trump vs. Musk feud
In early June 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk's once-close relationship turned ugly as the two traded barbs on social media. Social media users, in turn, speculated about why the two were fighting. The relationship between Musk and Trump, according to reporting from reputable news outlets, had been complicated for months, despite public amicability. Trump's team had become increasingly frustrated with Musk's erratic behavior and his slash-and-burn mentality as the public face of the Department of Government Efficiency, according to these reports. Things appeared to begin falling apart publicly when Trump pulled the nomination of a Musk ally to lead NASA, citing past donations to Democrats, and Musk started attacking Trump's trade adviser and tariffs architect, Peter Navarro. On June 3, Musk posted on X that he "just can't stand it anymore," and attacked Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, calling it a "disgusting abomination" and criticizing it for increasing the national debt. Trump, in response, said he was "very disappointed" with Musk and alleged the world's richest man was really angry about the bill's electric-vehicle tax-credit cuts, which would hurt Musk's car company, Tesla. It's true that the bill would increase the national debt, and that Trump reversed his position on increasing the debt ceiling — the limit lawmakers set to how much money the government can borrow. It's also true that the bill would cut tax credits benefiting Tesla. Thus, it is likely that even if there is more going on than what is publicly known, the fight does, at least in part, have to do with Trump's budget bill. U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, a former special government employee and Trump adviser, once presented themselves as the ultimate bromance in U.S. politics — but as their relationship crashed and burned in mid-2025, speculation and questions about what caused their very public breakup circulated online. "Who else still doesn't understand why Elon Musk and Donald Trump are fighting?" wrote one confused X user. The fight between Musk and Trump appeared to center around Musk's criticism of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, which Musk called a "disgusting abomination." Trump, on the other hand, lamented that he once "had" a great relationship with Musk and claimed Musk's anger was over cuts to electric-vehicle tax credits in the bill — credits that would have benefited Musk's car company, Tesla. "I'll tell you, he's not the first," Trump said (at 1:13). "People leave my administration and they love us, and then at some point they miss it so badly. And some of them embrace it and some of them actually become hostile. I don't know what it is, it's sort of 'Trump derangement syndrome' I guess they call it." Still, news outlets and late-night hosts speculated about the "real reasons" Musk was feuding with Trump. Some X users alleged Musk had simply pretended to support Trump to receive the EV subsidies. Meanwhile, conspiracy theorists argued that the fight was planned as a distraction or so Musk could sell cars to liberals and Trump could stop appearing beholden to the world's richest man. Much of what we know about Trump and Musk's relationship comes from reporting based on anonymous sources inside the White House who fear losing their jobs, making it impossible to definitively determine based on public information if there was a "real" reason for the spat. In response to an inquiry, the White House ignored detailed questions asking for evidence of various claims and allegations made by Trump and Musk, instead providing a boilerplate statement that had been sent to Snopes previously. "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again," read the statement from Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. Below, we break down what has been reported, what Trump and Musk have said and what they appear to be fighting about: Musk and Trump's close relationship publicly began when the SpaceX founder endorsed Trump for president on July 13, 2024, in an X post following an assassination attempt on the president in Pennsylvania. Musk poured nearly $300 million into Trump's campaign, and shortly after Trump won, he appointed Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency, a new initiative dedicated to cutting government spending. As Musk used a literal chain saw to promote his cuts to government agencies, outwardly, the two could not have been more agreeable to each other. However, reputable news outlets — citing anonymous sources in the White House — painted a more complicated story. In March, The New York Times reported cabinet officials were growing increasingly frustrated with the billionaire's "unchecked power," culminating in an explosive meeting over Musk's efforts to slash spending via mass layoffs of federal workers. The meeting, the Times reported, "yielded the first significant indication that Mr. Trump is willing to put some limits on Mr. Musk," as Trump reportedly said that from that point on, "the secretaries would be in charge; the Musk team would only advise." In April, the The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump and Musk spent time together almost every weekend, and that Trump admired Musk's humor and wealth — and the interest other world leaders took in Musk. The story also noted Trump's attempts to smooth over Musk's tense relationship with his cabinet officials. But the WSJ reported in May that the president and his staffers had expressed various frustrations over Musk's erratic messaging and his deep investment in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The candidate Musk backed, Brad Schimel, was a conservative backed by the Republican Party, but White House aides believed he would not win the race and it would become a referendum on Musk and Trump. (They were right.) Axios reported in June that Musk wanted the Federal Aviation Administration to use his Starlink satellite system for national air traffic control — but "the administration balked at it because of the appearance of a conflict of interest and for technological reasons." Snopes has not independently verified the reports from Axios, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. On April 5, news outlets reported that Musk posted, then deleted, an X post disparaging Trump's top trade adviser, Peter Navarro. "A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing," Musk said in reference to Navarro's degree, adding that Navarro "hadn't built s***." On April 8, Musk called Navarro a slur for developmentally disabled people, "truly a moron" and "dumber than a sack of bricks" in several X posts. Musk's frustrations with Navarro appeared to be over Trump's tariff policy, which Navarro was largely in charge of. (Musk said in an X post on June 5 that he believed Trump's tariffs would cause a recession in "the second half this year.") Musk then began publicly criticizing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in a May 27 interview with CBS News, saying he was "disappointed" to see that the "massive spending bill" would increase the budget deficit, adding that it "undermines the work DOGE has been doing" (see 6:00). "I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both," he said. The next day, Musk announced that his "scheduled time" as a special government employee was coming to an end. Trump presented Musk with a key to the White House on May 30 and called him an "incredible patriot" (see 11:40). Musk said he'd "expect to remain a friend and an adviser" and that he was "at the president's service" (see 20:13). Axios reported, however, that Musk had discussed trying to stay in that role beyond the 130-day time limit for special government employees but White House officials denied the request. On June 1, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would withdraw a nomination of a Musk ally, Jared Isaacman, to head NASA after a "thorough review of prior associations." Based on other comments, Trump was likely referring to Isaacman's past donations to Democrats — but Axios reported that for Musk, the withdrawal was the "final straw." "I'm not going to play dumb on this — I don't think timing was much of a coincidence. … There were other changes going on the same day," Isaacman said at the 50:04 mark in an "All-In Podcast" episode published June 4, presumably referencing Musk's departure. On June 3, Musk posted that he "just can't stand it anymore." "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," he wrote. Over the next few days, Musk's X feed largely consisted of criticizing the budget bill. He repeatedly raised concerns over "debt slavery" — enslavement for unpaid debts — and the bill's potential effect on the national deficit. He began outright lobbying against the bill, calling on his followers to "kill the bill." In a June 5 Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said he was "very disappointed" to see Musk's tirade (see 4:09). "I've always liked Elon, and so I was very surprised," Trump said. "He hasn't said anything about me that's bad. I'd rather have him criticize me than the bill, because the bill is incredible. It's the biggest cut in the history of this country." Trump claimed Musk "knew the inner workings" of the bill better than many in the administration and "had no problem with it" until they cut the EV subsidies (see 21:07). (Musk said on X that the president's comments were false and the bill "was never shown to me even once.") The president also alleged that Musk was unhappy about the administration's decision to reverse Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA (see 15:03). "He said the most beautiful things about me. And he hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next," Trump said (see 21:55). "But I'm very disappointed in Elon. I helped Elon a lot." As Trump predicted, Musk turned to personal attacks: Musk claimed Trump wouldn't have won the election without him, amplified a call for Trump's impeachment and alleged the Trump administration hasn't released files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein because the president is in them. Minutes before Musk posted about the Epstein files, Trump posted on his Truth Social account, "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Minutes after Musk posted his allegations that Trump was in unreleased Epstein-related files, Trump appeared to respond, without directly referencing Musk's claim. Trump's post read, "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump also threatened to take away Musk's government contracts in a Truth Social post the same day: "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" Musk, in a now-deleted response, threatened to decommission the SpaceX capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station — before backing off from the threat after an X user pleaded with him to cool off. Let's discuss the actual policy the two men appear to be fighting about: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. First, a quick recap: Musk's criticisms of the bill, at least publicly, center on his belief it will increase the federal deficit. Trump says Musk is mad over the administration's decision to remove electric-vehicle tax credits — what the president called an "EV mandate" — from the bill. While Musk initially supported eliminating the EV tax credit in 2023, he appears to have reversed his stance. The budget bill includes the elimination of a tax credit worth roughly as much as $7,500 for some Tesla models and other electric vehicles by Dec. 31, 2025, seven years ahead of schedule — see Section 112002 of the bill, "TERMINATION OF CLEAN VEHICLE CREDIT." JP Morgan estimated Tesla would lose $1.2 billion over the elimination, according to Bloomberg. Thus, it is accurate to say Musk stands to lose money over the removal of the tax credit. But Musk, in response to Trump's comments in the Oval Office, claimed on X that he cared more about what he believed was wasteful spending in the bill. "Whatever," he said. "Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill." Musk's attacks centered on what he believed was Trump's about-face on raising the debt ceiling — a limit Congress sets as to how much money the government can borrow — as well as the fact the budget bill would increase the deficit. Part of Musk's tirade against Trump involved him pulling out old Trump posts about the deficit to paint the president as a hypocrite. It is true that Trump was against raising the federal deficit before he became president — but he raised the ceiling multiple times during his first term. In a June 4 Truth Social post, he said he wanted to abolish the debt limit entirely "to prevent an Economic catastrophe." The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would increase the federal deficit by $2.4 trillion through 2034; that would grow to $3 trillion with interest, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget — and $5 trillion with interest if temporary tax cuts were made permanent. As Trump had touted, the package also cuts spending by about $1.3 trillion, with most of that coming from cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, according to the CBO. The bill would thus necessitate raising the debt ceiling, as the ceiling as of 2025 is $36.1 trillion, which the United States has already breached — the national debt, as of this writing, was $36.2 trillion, forcing the United States to take what's called "extraordinary measures" to temporarily prevent a default on the debt. Defaulting, the Department of the Treasury said, would result in "catastrophic repercussions." Private arguments and issues the Trump team had with Musk may have led to this very public fight, according to reputable news outlets. While the center of the fight appeared to be the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the two were already at odds over Trump pulling the nomination of a Musk ally to lead NASA and Musk's opposition to Trump's tariff policy and the architect behind it, to name a few incidents. In early June, Musk began attacking the budget bill, leading Trump to say he was "very disappointed" in the tech billionaire before posting a few of his own responses on Truth Social. Aside from Musk attacking the bill as being bloated and financially irresponsible, Musk also attacked Trump's character. Trump alleged Musk was actually upset with the bill's electric-vehicle tax-credit cuts and said the easiest way to reduce spending would be to take Musk's government contracts away. In terms of the policy discussion, it is true the bill increases spending and the national debt, as Musk claimed, and it is true ending the EV tax credit would likely harm Tesla. At the end of the day, we can't say exactly what is going on in either man's their head, making it impossible to know whether there's more to the fight — but the evidence suggests the budget bill is at least one major sticking point for the relationship. Al Jazeera. "'I Love the President': Trump, Musk Heap on Praise in Gushy Interview." Al Jazeera, 19 Feb. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Alaska on X: "@Elonmusk @SpaceX This Is a Shame This Back and Forth. …." 6 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. All-In Podcast. "Jared Isaacman: What Went Wrong at NASA | the All-in Interview." YouTube, 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Arrington, Jodey C. "Text - H.R.1 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Accessed 6 June 2025. Associated Press. "WATCH: Elon Musk Waves Chainsaw on Stage at CPAC." YouTube, 20 Feb. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Breaking down the One Big Beautiful Bill | Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget." Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 21 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Caputo, Marc. "Scoop: Four Reasons Musk Attacked Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill.'" Axios, 3 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Clough, Rick, and Kara Carlson. "Elon Musk Escalates Attacks on Trump Tax Bill, Sending Tesla (TSLA) Plunging." Bloomberg, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. CNN. "Elon Musk Exits Government Role." Accessed 6 June 2025. Congressional Budget Office. "Debt-Service Effects Derived from H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Congressional Budget Office, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Dawsey, Josh, et al. "Inside Elon Musk and Trump's Complicated and Tense Relationship." The Wall Street Journal, 31 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Inside Elon Musk's Shock-And-Awe Months in the White House." The Wall Street Journal, 5 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Deng, Grace. "What to Know about Trump, Musk and the Dismantling of USAID." Snopes, 5 Feb. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Donor Lookup." OpenSecrets, Accessed 6 June 2025. Face the Nation. "Trump and Musk Take Questions as Tesla CEO Exits 'Special Government Employee' Post." YouTube, 30 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Federal Debt and the Debt Limit in 2025." Accessed 6 June 2025. "Interactive: Recent History of the Debt Limit | Bipartisan Policy Center." Accessed 6 June 2025. Izzo, Jack. "Yes, Musk Shared Post Calling for Trump's Impeachment." Snopes, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Liles, Jordan. "Yes, Musk Alleged Trump Appears in the Epstein Files." Snopes, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Loe, Megan. "Musk Said 'Trump Would Have Lost the Election' without Him." Snopes, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Musk, Elon. "Elon Musk on X: "@Mrp @RealPNavarro @JoeSquawk @SquawkCNBC Navarro Is…." 9 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "@Mrp @RealPNavarro @JoeSquawk @SquawkCNBC Tesla Has …." 9 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: '💯' / X." X (formerly Twitter), 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "a New Spending Bill Should Be Drafted That Doesn't M…." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'America Is in the Fast Lane to Debt Slavery' / X." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Call Your Senator, Call Your Congressman, Bankruptin…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "False, This Bill Was Never Shown to Me Even Once And…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "in Light of the President's Statement about Cancella…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Mammoth Spending Bills Are Bankrupting America! ENOU…." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "the Trump Tariffs Will Cause a Recession in the Seco…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "This Immense Level of Overspending Will Drive Americ…." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "This Spending Bill Contains the Largest Increase In …." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Whatever. Keep the EV/Solar Incentive Cuts in the Bi…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'Where Is This Guy Today??' / X." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'Wise Words' / X." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Good Advice. Ok, We Won't Decommission Dragon." 6 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Fully Endorse President Trump and Hope for His Rapid Recovery." X (Formerly Twitter), 13 July 2024, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I'm Sorry, but I Just Can't Stand It Anymore. This Massive, Outrageous, Pork-Filled Congressional Spending Bill Is a Disgusting Abomination. Shame on Those Who Voted for It: You Know You Did Wrong. You Know It." X (Formerly Twitter), 3 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. PBS NewsHour. "WATCH: Trump Says He's 'Very Disappointed' in Elon Musk after Criticism of President's Budget Bill." YouTube, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Statement by President-Elect Donald J. Trump Announcing That Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Will Lead the Department of Government Efficiency ('DOGE') | the American Presidency Project." 12 Nov. 2024, Accessed 6 June 2025. Swan, Jonathan, and Maggie Haberman. "Rubio and Trump Officials Clash with Elon Musk in an Explosive Meeting." The New York Times, 7 Mar. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Taija PerryCook. "Every DOGE Rumor We've Fact-Checked so Far." Snopes, 15 Mar. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Talcott, Shelby. "'A Battle Elon Won't Win': Musk Takes on Trump Trade Guru Peter Navarro." 6 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Thadani, Trisha, et al. "Elon Musk Donated $288 Million in 2024 Election, Final Tally Shows." Washington Post, The Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Trump, Donald J. "Donald J. Trump on X: "No Member of Congress Should Be Eligible for R…." 31 July 2012, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Was 'Wearing Thin,' I Asked Him to Leave, I Took Away His EV Mandate That Forced Everyone to Buy Electric Cars That Nobody Else Wanted (That He Knew for Months I Was Going to Do!), and He Just Went CRAZY!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Am Very Pleased to Announce That, after All of These Years, I Agree with Senator Elizabeth Warren on SOMETHING. The Debt Limit Should Be Entirely Scrapped to Prevent an Economic Catastrophe. It Is Too Devastating to Be Put in the Hands of Political People That May Want to Use It despite the Horrendous Effect It Could Have on Our Country And, Indirectly, Even the World. As to Senator Warren's Second Statement on the $4 Trillion Dollars, I like That Also, but It Would Have to Be Done over a Period of Time, as Short as Possible. Let's Get Together, Republican and Democrat, and DO THIS!" Truth Social, 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Don't Mind Elon Turning against Me, but He Should Have Done so Months Ago. This Is One of the Greatest Bills Ever Presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut Ever Given. If This Bill Doesn't Pass, There Will Be a 68% Tax Increase, and Things Far Worse than That. I Didn't Create This Mess, I'm Just Here to FIX IT. This Puts Our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "The Easiest Way to Save Money in Our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, Is to Terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I Was Always Surprised That Biden Didn't Do It!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Truth Details | Truth Social." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. US Treasury. "What Is the National Debt?" Accessed 6 June 2025. Wall, Mike. "Senator Grills Jared Isaacman, Trump's Pick for NASA Chief, about Elon Musk's Involvement in His Job Interview (Video)." Space, 10 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Wazer, Caroline. "Musk Said He's Leaving the White House. Here's What We Do (and Don't) Know about the Departure." Snopes, 29 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. White House. "President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the Chancellor of Germany." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Yellen, Janet. DEPARTMENT of the TREASURY | Letter to Rep. Mike Johnson. 17 Jan. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025.
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Here's why SpaceX faces a bright future as government contractor despite Musk-Trump divorce
The public breakup between Elon Musk and President Trump has cast a pall over the future of SpaceX – but the mogul's company should remain on a solid trajectory because the two sides need each other. Trump has counted on his estranged First Buddy's privately owned firm to fulfill the administration's plans for NASA to return to the moon, ongoing operations at the International Space Station, a reported classified deal with US intelligence to build hundreds of spy satellites and expanding internet access to rural parts of America. SpaceX – known for building and launching rockets, and the Starlink satellite internet network – has approximately $22 billion in government contracts on the books, according to Reuters. 4 Elon Musk, shown with President Trump in Texas last year, called for Trump to be impeached. Getty Images That includes a roughly $5 billion deal to build the Dragon spacecraft for use by NASA, which Musk threatened to decommission in his unhinged social media rants aimed at Trump – only to later reverse course hours later. Trump threatened to end Musk's federal contracts in response to the verbal onslaught, which included the allegation that Trump is 'in the Epstein files' and that he would have 'lost the election' without his help. 'Trump could certainly cancel most deals and contracts if he wants but the government may still have to pay them – depends on the contract details,' a Republican consultant connected with Trump, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the feud, told The Post on Friday. The two men appeared no closer to a detente, with Trump refusing to get on the phone with his former DOGE cost-cutter and largest campaign benefactor after he blasted the White House-backed 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' While that makes for great theater, the split probably works in both of their favors, according to the source. 'Trump and Elon both got what they wanted here,' the GOP consultant said. 'Elon was able to distance himself from Trump in a public enough way to get his businesses back on track and Trump was able to have all of the MAGA warriors who were questioning the bill shut up or even defend it so they could defend Trump and prove they took his side.' SpaceX 'will be fine' despite the fireworks, the source added. 4 President Trump said Friday that Musk had 'gone crazy.' AP White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to comment on the war of words. 'President Trump is focused on making our country great again and passing the One Big Beautiful Bill,' she said. SpaceX did not immediately return a request for comment. As the founder, chairman and CEO of SpaceX, Musk is in total control with 79% of the company's voting shares as of 2023, according to a filing at the time. The closely held firm recently secured a $350 billion valuation. Overall, Musk and his businesses that also include Tesla, brain chip firm Neuralink and The Boring Company have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits, according to a recent Washington Post analysis. If Trump does decide to go to DefCon 5 on Musk, the billionaire's alleged drug use could be used as one possible lever to wriggle out of the SpaceX contracts. 4 SpaceX is key to NASA's plans to return to the Moon. REUTERS During Trump's first term in office in 2019, Bloomberg reported that the Pentagon was reviewing Musk's SpaceX security clearance after he smoked marijuana during an appearance on 'The Joe Rogan Experience' podcast. While Musk has strenuously denied misusing drugs, House Democrats this week requested details from Trump on whether he had any knowledge of Musk working 'under the influence.' The possible loss of government contracts would not be 'catastrophic' for Musk or his rocket company. 'SpaceX has developed itself into a global powerhouse that dominates most of the space industry, but there's no question that it would result in significant lost revenue and missed contract opportunities,' Justus Parmar, CEO of SpaceX investor Fortuna Investments, told Reuters. Meanwhile, MAGA firebrand Steve Bannon called for the South African-born Musk to be deported – and floated the possibility that Trump could use a Korean War-era statute called the Defense Production Act to enable a federal takeover of the privately owned company. 4 SpaceX has about $22 billion in federal contracts. REUTERS However, the headline-grabbing proposal is likely a nonstarter. 'There's no way Bannon's idea of just taking over private companies works out long term, both because it would be litigated and because other companies would keep the US government at arm's length to avoid future similar issues,' the consultant said. 'Neither outcome is workable.'
