The Latest: Trump-Musk relationship appears to implode

San Francisco Chronicle​

17 hours ago

After long months when Trump and Musk appeared united in their chaotic mission to remake Washington, their relationship imploded this week.
It began with Musk complaining about the centerpiece of Trump's legislative agenda, which the president at first took in stride. Eventually , Trump let slip that he was disappointed in his former adviser, prompting Musk to unleash a flood of insults and taunts.
Trump could hold back no longer. He posted that Musk had been 'wearing thin,' that he had 'asked him to leave' his administration, that the tech titan had 'gone CRAZY.'
Here's the latest:
Trump plans to attend UFC 316 in New Jersey
Trump is set to attend Saturday's nights UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey – continuing his trend of largely traveling domestically to attend sport events.
Since retaking the White House in January, Trump went to the Super Bowl in New Orleans and the Daytona 500 in Florida, as well as a UFC fight in Miami and the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia.
That means he's traveled more frequently to watch sports than to attend political rallies or make other trips focused on domestic policy. Trump planned to spend Friday night at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, which makes for a short trip to be there for Saturday's fight.
Johnson confident of passing big tax and immigration bill despite Musk criticism
Speaker Mike Johnson is expressing confidence that the growing dispute between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk will not harm the GOP's prospects of passing Trump's big tax and immigration bill.
Musk has tweeted on X that lawmakers should call lawmakers and 'KILL the BILL.'
Johnson told reporters that he exchanged text messages with Musk on Thursday, but he would not reveal the content. He also said he was in constant communication with Trump.
'Members are not shaken at all,' Johnson said of the dispute. 'We're going to pass this legislation on our deadline.'
Watchdog investigates if staff was asked to delete Hegseth's Signal messages
The Pentagon watchdog is looking into whether any of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's aides were asked to delete Signal messages that may have shared sensitive military information with a reporter.
That's according to two people familiar with the investigation and documents reviewed by The Associated Press. The people weren't authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The inspector general is asking some past and current staffers who were with Hegseth on the day of the airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen who actually posted the information and who had access to his phone.
Details about the military strikes were shared in multiple Signal chats, including one that inadvertently included The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
— By Tara Copp
Elon Musk pulls back on threat to withdraw Dragon spacecraft
Musk is dialing back his threat to decommission a capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station for NASA. The threat came as President Donald Trump and Musk argued on social media on Thursday.
Trump said he could cut government contracts given to Musk's rocket company, SpaceX. Musk responded by saying SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft.
It was unclear how serious Musk's threat was, but several hours later — in a reply to another X user — he said he wouldn't do it. SpaceX is the only U.S. company capable right now of transporting crews to and from the space station, using its four-person Dragon capsules. It could also pay Russia to ferry astronauts.
Elon Musk could lose big profits for Tesla under a new GOP budget proposal
Republican senators have inserted language into the budget bill amid the Musk v. Trump feud that would eliminate fines for gas-powered cars that fall short of fuel economy standards. Tesla has a thriving side business selling 'regulatory credits' to other automakers to make up for their shortfalls.
The credits business was widely thought vulnerable to cuts even before the feud, and Musk has downplayed its importance. But the changes would hurt Tesla as it reels from boycotts. Credit sales jumped by a third to $595 million in the first three months of the year as total revenue slumped. (edited)
Hiring was slow but steady last month; unemployment rate stayed at 4.2%
The government's monthly jobs report, released Friday, showed that employers added 139,000 jobs last month, down slightly from the previous month's gain of 147,000. Hiring at that level is typically enough to keep the unemployment rate from rising over time, but represents a slowdown compared with a year ago, when nearly 200,000 jobs were added.
The hiring mostly occurred in the health care, restaurant and hotels, and financial services industries. The Trump administration's top economists have previously criticized job gains in those areas as mostly either low-paying or, in the case of health care, partly dependent on government spending.
Manufacturing, a particular focus of the White House and the intended beneficiaries of President Donald Trump's tariffs, cut 8,000 jobs last month. Since Trump's inauguration, the sector has gained just 6,000 positions. It shed jobs last year.
The overall job gains were slightly better than financial markets expected, so stock futures rose on the news.
What's next for Trump-Musk relationship?
After Thursday's spectacular blow-up between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk -- which unfolded in real time -- the big question for this Friday is: What next?
In a call with ABC News on Friday, Trump called Musk a 'man who has lost his mind.' According to the network's correspondent, Jon Karl, the president said he is 'not particularly' interested in speaking with Musk directly.
Still, Trump said Musk wants to talk to him, Karl reported.
Shares of Elon Musk's electric vehicle maker plunged more than 14% as investors dumped holdings, as investors fear his dispute with President Donald Trump could end up hurting the company.
There appear to be no plans for a call between the two men Friday
A source familiar with Trump's thinking said Musk wants to have a call but the president doesn't want to do it today. The person requested anonymity to disclose private conversations.
— By Chris Megerian
Judge puts temporary hold on Trump's latest ban on Harvard's foreign students
A federal judge late Thursday temporarily blocked a proclamation by Trump that banned foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard University.
Trump's proclamation was the latest attempt by his administration to prevent the nation's oldest and wealthiest college from enrolling a quarter of its students, who account for much of Harvard's research and scholarship.
Harvard filed a legal challenge the next day, asking for a judge to block Trump's order and calling it illegal retaliation for Harvard's rejection of White House demands. Harvard said the president was attempting an end-run around a previous court order.