Daily Briefing: The President and the billionaire break up
Good morning,
Nothing would have prepared anyone for the ugly public fallout between US President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk that played out last night. Just last week, when Musk stepped down from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) role, Trump gave him a personal send-off. Musk thanked the President publicly, hoping to remain his 'friend and adviser'.
Cut to June 5, when claims and counterclaims were thrown around. Musk went as far as invoking the Epstein files, the blot on the many rich and powerful personnel files. He dropped the 'big bomb' early this morning: '@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' These files refer to the investigative documents about the sex-trafficking allegations surrounding millionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
The fight began when Trump spoke in the Oval Office during a visit with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. 'I am very disappointed in Elon… I have helped Elon a lot.' Musk responded over X in real time, accusing Trump of 'ingratitude.' Without me, Trump would have lost the election, the Democrats would control the House, and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.
At the heart of it all is Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill', which aims to bring sweeping tax reforms and raise the government's borrowing limit. Critics, including Musk, who called it 'outrageous' and 'pork-filled', argue that it would significantly ramp up government spending. For Musk, it means undoing his work under DOGE, which aimed to dramatically reduce government spending with layoffs and bans on certain grants. Trump suggested that Musk's bitterness may have to do with the government ending the 'EV mandate' — a charge that Musk denied.
The real danger of two sparring billionaires, especially when one is the President of the United States, is that it can have real consequences. Trump threatened to cut off Musk's federal contracts and government subsidies. Musk responded that he would begin decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft immediately. The spacecraft has been helping NASA transfer astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Hours later, Musk appeared to back down from the threat. To fuel the fire, Musk, a man with sizeable social currency, responded 'Yes' to an X post suggesting that Trump should be impeached.
It's hard to find a winner for this brawl, with big, probably bruised, egos on both sides. The billionaire buddies may decide to patch up again. But as Musk puts it, 'One thing's for sure, it ain't boring! 😂'
On that note, here's what else we have for you today.
With elections slated for the year-end, Bihar is basking in the limelight. And one man seems to be stealing most of it. Chirag Paswan, the leader of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Union Minister, has been eyeing a bigger 'future role' as the Dalit leadership's face. Contributing editor Neerja Chowdhury untangles the politics of Bihar and Paswan's place in this week's column.
Held: In the aftermath of the Bengaluru stampede, during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's victory celebrations, the police arrested an official from the franchise's management and another from an event management company, DNA. The Chief Minister, meanwhile, has ordered the suspension of Bengaluru City Police Commissioner B Dayananda.
🎧 For more on the stampede, tune in to today's episode of the '3 Things' podcast.
Data point: The Indian statistics ministry is looking at new sources of data to calculate the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based retail inflation. These could include online platforms for air and rail travel and OTT platforms, which could add to the comprehensiveness of the price data collection.
Warfront: Amid emerging technologies on the battlefield, what does the future of conflict look like? In this week's Dis/Agree column, we asked two experts to weigh in.
Manoj Joshi, a distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, and Lieutenant Colonel (veteran) Manoj K Channan, advocate for the integration of ground forces with advanced technologies. However, both argue that human soldiers remain irreplaceable.
Let it flow: China is planning to build a major hydropower project, Medog, on the Brahmaputra River. The project has sparked concerns that it may impact the flow of the river in India. Will it? To answer that, water resources experts Naresh K Mathur and Debarshee Dasgupta take a comprehensive look at India's river system.
The Maruti Suzuki Swift is among the most popular cars on Indian roads. The hatchback has made its way into many a household, given its affordability and reliability. Japanese car maker Suzuki Motors, however, is planning to halt the Swift's production. What prompted the move? Can it be fixed? Read on!
That's all for today, folks! Happy weekend-ing!
Sonal Gupta
Sonal Gupta is a senior sub-editor on the news desk. She writes feature stories and explainers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to international affairs. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. She also edits our newly-launched pop culture section, Fresh Take.
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