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Fox News
5 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Trump posts video thanking Elon Musk as billionaire ends White House tenure
Print Close By Rachel Wolf Published May 31, 2025 The Trump White House released a video on Friday marking the end of Elon Musk's time working with the administration. The billionaire has been leading the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) since January. The video, which was posted on multiple social media platforms, is a highlight reel, starting with Musk's endorsement of President Donald Trump in July 2024, just after the then-candidate was nearly assassinated, and goes up to his last day in D.C. WHITE HOUSE DISCLOSES WHO WILL LEAD DOGE EFFORTS AFTER MUSK'S DEPARTURE In addition to the video, the White House published several posts on X thanking Musk for his service, including a list of "DOGE Wins," which include saving American taxpayers $170 billion, canceling approximately 523,000 active U.S. government credit cards/accounts it uncovered in an audit, cleaning up records at the Social Security Administration, among other initiatives. During a joint news conference on Friday, Trump awarded Musk a "key to the White House." The White House quoted the president as saying that "Elon's delivered a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington… Elon Musk's service to America has been without comparison in modern history." WHAT'S NEXT FOR DOGE AFTER ELON MUSK'S DEPARTURE? 'ONLY JUST BEGUN' Another Republican leader joined Trump in recognizing the changes Musk worked to implement in Washington. House Speaker Mike Johnson thanked Musk for his "selfless, patriotic service" and praised both the billionaire and DOGE, saying they "dug through the bureaucracy and shined a light on MASSIVE waste, fraud, and abuse." "They have saved the American people BILLIONS of dollars, and are updating old and inefficient systems across the federal government — all while providing Republicans with a list of targets of pointless programs that Congressional action will address." MUSK OFFICIALLY STEPS DOWN FROM DOGE AFTER WRAPPING WORK STREAMLINING GOVERNMENT CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP While some wonder about the future of DOGE, the Trump administration is insisting that the department will go on without Musk at the helm. The Tesla founder addressed this question as well just as Trump marked 100 days in office. He told a small group of reporters that "DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism. You wouldn't ask who would lead Buddhism. Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?" A few days before the end of his White House tenure, Musk vowed in a post on X to go "back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms," a big switch from the Lincoln Bedroom, where the billionaire allegedly slept multiple times. However, Trump teased that even though it was Musk's last day, it wasn't "really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way." Print Close URL
Washington Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Joy, tension collide as WorldPride arrives in Trump's Washington
The welcome signs for WorldPride, the world's largest LGBTQ+ gathering, are out across Washington. Banners hang from lampposts along major roads. Rainbow stripes have been painted on bike lanes and sidewalks. The message from the District to LGBTQ+ residents and visitors has been a cheery and unequivocal, 'We want you here.' At a Pride news conference Thursday, District Mayor Muriel E. Bowser proudly called the District 'the gayest city in the world' and encouraged residents to fly Pride flags in front of their homes. But for many in the LGBTQ+ community, the election of Donald Trump and his return to the presidency has altered the mood — and the outlook — for WorldPride. Less than a year ago, city leaders, LGBTQ+ business owners and Pride organizers said they anticipated the event and its associated panels, parties and parades would bring up to 3 million people to D.C. They projected hotels at full capacity and a revenue bonanza that would more than justify the city's $5 million budget to prep for the festival, which includes the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations in the District. Now, while many community leaders and business owners remain optimistic that the event will be the success they envisioned, they are also tempering their expectations. They fear that the Trump administration's targeting of transgender rights and attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have scared off corporate sponsors and discouraged people — especially international visitors — from coming to Washington for Pride. A number of countries have issued travel warnings for LGBTQ+ individuals thinking of coming to the United States, and organizations representing affected groups in Canada and Africa said they are boycotting the event. Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, has spent much of the past five years working to bring WorldPride to D.C. He's thrilled that it is finally here, excited for the city and the LGBTQ community, and ready for the parties to begin. At the same time, he says, 'the executive orders that were directly targeting our community and other marginalized communities created feelings of despair, of anger, of 'what country am I living in?' ' Bos has seen corporations and individuals withdraw from the event over their fears of retribution from the administration. His biggest disappointment, he said, 'is not being able to host this WorldPride at a time that we felt we were in a space that the government had our back, that our corporate partners had our back.' Conflicting emotions is a common theme for many in the District's LGBTQ+ community. 'We're excited for WorldPride obviously,' said Stephen Rutgers, co-owner of Crush, a popular gay bar on 14th Street NW that opened about a year ago. 'I think the city will see an influx of people. Will it be the two or three million that were initially projected to come? I don't think so. But at this point just having a normal D.C. Pride is a success. Anything over that is sort of the cherry on top." With the arrival of the Trump administration, Rutgers says that what was supposed to be a celebration of rights that have been gained is now tinged with worry and anger about what is endangered. 'It's changed the tone and the narrative of what WorldPride could have been and what it's going to be,' he said. 'It could have been a very big, fun celebration and just everyone out and about, but now it's reminding people of the history of what Pride is and that all our rights are still not safe. We need to come out and be loud and proud and celebrate those things.' There are hundreds of official and unofficial parties and events scheduled during WorldPride, which officially began May 17. A welcome concert featuring Shakira at Nationals Park scheduled for Saturday night was abruptly canceled after the artist pulled out Friday, citing production issues for the event. That was an unexpected blow to the festival, but organizers said they were working to reschedule its events. Pride culminates June 7 and 8 with a parade, rally and concerts on Pennsylvania Avenue headlined by Cynthia Erivo and Doechii. Yet attendance projections for WorldPride, which includes celebrations of Trans Pride, Black Pride and Latinx Pride, remain in flux. Hotel bookings, one indicator of attendance, are down 10 percent for the three-week period of WorldPride compared to the same time last year, according to Destination DC, the nonprofit organization responsible for marketing the District to tourists and convention planners. Last year, the District hosted 2.2 million international visitors; that is expected to decline by 6.5 percent in 2025, according to Tourism Economics, which tracks travel data. The firm attributes the drop-off in international visitors to a variety of factors, including the impact of tariffs on prices, concerns about immigration and border policies and an overall negative sentiment. In 2024, about 72 million international visitors came to the United States. Tourism Economics estimates that number will drop by about 10 percent in 2025. Citing new U.S. government policies, particularly ones directed at trans individuals, a number of LGBTQ+ organizations in Canada, Africa and Europe have said they will not send members to WorldPride. Several European countries, including Denmark, Germany, Finland and Ireland, issued travel advisories in March and April alerting citizens that if their travel documents have their gender marked as 'X' rather than male or female, they could face difficulties when trying to enter the United States. Officials from the State Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection said there are no restrictions against international visitors to the United States based on gender identity or sexuality. Stephanie Carre, general manager of the Dirty Habit restaurant and bar at the Hotel Monaco in downtown Washington, expressed some concern about the political climate affecting attendance. Like other business owners and managers around town, Carre is counting on a big overall turnout for Pride to help her meet her bottom line. The bar is hosting several WorldPride events, including an exhibit of portraits of gay icons by pop artist Wayne Hollowell and a drag brunch on June 8 featuring Alyssa Edwards. Tickets for the brunch start at $150 and Carre said they're hoping for at least 400 people to attend. If she can reach the venue's 800-person maximum, the brunch will be a big win. 'Unfortunately there's been a lot of controversy in the air since January,' Carre said. 'I was thinking it would be a great time to come and celebrate even harder because of that. So I'm hoping we get a huge influx of people coming to town to express their American freedom and be who they are.' Carre is 'cautiously optimistic' the numbers will be there. 'We were hoping for double the numbers of a normal Pride year, but it's kind of uncertain right now,' she said. As with any major event in the District, security and safety will be priorities, Pride organizers and city officials said. In addition to keeping visitors and residents safe at Pride events and on city streets, D.C. police and other law enforcement agencies say they will also be tracking rallies and protests. At various points during the next two weeks, demonstrators celebrating Pride will rally at the Lincoln Memorial, protest DOGE outside a Tesla showroom in Georgetown and gather at the Capitol Reflecting Pool for a Transgender Unity Rally. 'At this time I want to emphasize there are no known credible threats to WorldPride or any affiliated events,' DC Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said at Thursday's news conference. 'That being said we always want to remain vigilant and we always want to be ready. We will continue to evaluate our intelligence and adjust our posture accordingly if necessary.' The city is still reeling from a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21 that took the lives of a young couple, both Israeli Embassy employees. The alleged shooter told police, 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza," according to an affidavit in federal court. The museum reopened Thursday. Although its leaders are still grieving from the attack, they are encouraging Pride attendees to come see the museum's newest exhibit, LGBTJews in the Federal City, which tells the history of Jewish involvement in LGBTQ struggles and activism as well as the change within the Jewish community with respect to LGBTQ inclusion over the past 50 years. 'The tragic shooting outside our building just reinforces how important it is to be a place where people can come learn about Jewish people, Jewish culture and the richness and diversity of the Jewish community in Washington D.C.,' Beatrice Gurwitz, the museum's executive director said in an interview. 'We have always aspired to bring in people who are Jewish, and who are not Jewish, to relate to what we have here and to better connect across difference.' At As You Are, a coffee shop, bar and self-described queer community space on D.C.'s Capitol Hill, owners Jo McDaniel and her wife, Rach 'Coach' Pike, are planning Pride-themed dance parties, karaoke nights and storytelling sessions at their 3,000-square-foot venue. They acknowledge some of the tension surrounding this year's festival but they also see it as a chance to showcase their city to visitors. 'We're looking forward so much to meeting a bunch of new folks and showing them how D.C. hospitality, there's really nothing like it,' McDaniel said, 'We have just enough small town in our big city to really make it special and caring and warm and I'm excited for folks to get to experience that.' Meagan Flynn and Ellie Silverman contributed to this story.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Trump gives Elon Musk an Oval Office sendoff, crediting him with ‘colossal change'
President Donald Trump bid farewell to Elon Musk in the Oval Office on Friday, providing a cordial conclusion to a tumultuous tenure for the billionaire entrepreneur. Musk is leaving his position spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency, and he'll be rededicating himself to running his businesses, including electric automaker Tesla, rocket company SpaceX and social media platform X. Trump credited Musk with 'a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington" and said some of his staff would remain in the administration. Musk, who wore all black including a T-shirt that said 'The Dogefather,' nodded along as the president listed contracts that had been cut under his watch. 'I think the DOGE team is doing an incredible job," Musk said after accepting a ceremonial key from the president. "They're going to continue to be doing an incredible job.' He left a searing mark on the federal bureaucracy, including thousands of employees who were fired or pushed out. Some government functions were eviscerated, such as the US Agency for International Development, which had provided a lifeline for impoverished people around the world. Boston University researchers estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have already died as a result of the USAID cuts. Despite the upheaval, Musk also fell far short of his goals. After promising to cut $1 trillion or even $2 trillion in federal spending, he lowered expectations to only $150 billion in the current fiscal year. It's unclear whether that target has been hit. The DOGE website tallies $175 billion in savings, but its information has been riddled with errors and embellishments. Trump said Musk had led the 'most sweeping and consequential government reform effort in generations." He suggested that Musk is 'really not leaving' and 'he's going to be back and forth' to keep tabs on what's happening in the administration. Musk had a bruise next to his right eye in the Oval Office, which he explained by saying he had been "horsing around" with his young son. 'I said, go ahead punch me in the face," he said. "And he did.' Musk, the world's richest person, recently said he would reduce his political donations. He was Trump's top donor in last year's presidential campaign. Trump appeared eager to end Musk's service on a high note. 'This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way," Trump wrote on social media on Thursday evening. "Elon is terrific!" As a special government employee, Musk's position was designed to be temporary. However, he had speculated about staying 'indefinitely,' working part time for the administration, if Trump still wanted his help. Musk has brushed off questions about how DOGE would continue without him, even suggesting it could 'gain momentum' in the future. 'DOGE is a way of life,' he told reporters recently. 'Like Buddhism.'
Washington Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
The biggest moments in D.C. drag history
Why might Washington, a famously buttoned-up town where everyone cares about their reputation, have a particularly vibrant drag tradition? Mark Meinke, who spearheaded the creation of the Rainbow History Project, which collects, preserves and promotes Washington's LGBTQ+ history, has an answer. Also an expert on the area's drag legacy, Meinke says that because jobs in government or politics often attracted temporary residents, Washington became an environment where people felt free to experiment — including with drag — in a way they might not have back home. And the transience meant that 'people who would not normally have met each other did, and that proved a fertile ground for innovating,' he says. Drag is a rich field that invites questions about gender, sexuality, identity, political expression and more. Over the course of U.S. drag history, which has included the female impersonators of 19th-century minstrel shows and the popularity of Harlem drag balls in the 1920s and '30s, race and ethnicity have added fault lines. For a long time in Washington, 'African American performers usually performed with other African American performers, Caucasians with Caucasians, Hispanic with Hispanic, Asians with Asians,' says Meinke. 'And it wasn't until the '70s, when there was an out gay population, that a lot of crossing those lines occurred.' Local drag history will be in the spotlight — possibly amid effusions of feathers and rhinestones — when Blair Michaels hosts 'Drag Through the Decades' on June 8. The former Miss Capital Pride 1999 says the brunch event at Mr. Henry's will pay tribute to how the art form has flourished in the Washington area over the past 50 years. Local VIPs will perform, and the soundtrack will sample a half century's worth of tunes, from Diana Ross to Beyoncé. 'You have to go back to look forward. You have to learn from the past,' Michaels says. In honor of 'Drag Through the Decades' and WorldPride, here are a few milestones from local drag history. On April 13, 1888, The Washington Post reported on a police raid at a house on F Street NW where 13 Black men were dining in fashionable gowns and wigs 'decked out with ribbons in a style that was simply dazzling.' Resisting the police operation that night was a dinner attendee wearing 'a gorgeous dress of cream colored satin.' This was William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved man who organized other cross-dressing events in this era, according to the research of journalist and scholar Channing Gerard Joseph. The Washington Critic referred to Swann as the 'queen' of the April 1888 'drag party.' In the 1920s and '30s, what is now called the 'Pansy Craze' (a reference to the historical use of the term 'pansy' for gay or effeminate men) gripped parts of the world, including the Washington-Baltimore area. Black female impersonators Alden Garrison and Louis Diggs became stars who received regular press coverage. In June 1935, the Washington Tribune reported that after being named Alexandria's 'queen' at an event at that town's Capitol Theatre, 'Mother' Diggs was so mobbed by fascinated spectators as to have trouble reaching a waiting car. In 1961, Liz Taylor, a.k.a. Alan Kress, founded a drag-focused social organization that ultimately became known (after a schism, a reboot and a moniker challenge from Hollywood's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) as the Academy of Washington. The Academy organized award pageants and provided safe performance sites, mentoring and community. Affiliated with it were various drag 'houses' that also furnished mentorship in the Mid-Atlantic region. Before the institution closed in 2015, 'one thing that made D.C. special was having the Academy, because you could come here and learn how to do [drag] from people who knew what they were doing,' Meinke says, noting that the Academy welcomed people irrespective of race or sex. The Academy's HOOP Fund ('Helping Our Own People') ramped up during the AIDS crisis, tending to the sick, and more. 'If your family abandoned you and weren't going to bury you, HOOP would bury you,' Meinke says. Meinke says that Washington never had the legal prohibitions against public cross-dressing that Maryland and Virginia had. Still, the major hotels in the district banned drag until the impresario Ken White, an organizer of opportunities for Black drag artists, who was also known as Black Pearl, shattered precedent. White convinced the Washington Hilton to let him mount his awards gala there in February 1968. It was a formal-attire-only event that officially ran until 3 a.m. That landmark bash notwithstanding, local drag often flourished in bars and clubs. Because performers brought their own music and costumes and so were a cost-effective source of zing, 'for clubs in D.C., drag was a godsend,' Meinke says. On Halloween night 1986, a couple dozen none-too-sober pals bolted down a Dupont Circle street, kicking off what became Washington's annual High Heel Race. As recounted in a drag-history walking tour brochure that Meinke wrote, the inaugural contest careened from JR's Bar & Grill to nearby Annie's Paramount Steakhouse, where the racers dashed upstairs for a shot of schnapps before doubling back to JR's. These days, the race, with its costumes, stilettos and platforms, is a high-profile annual event. In 1996, Washington's first drag king competition took place at the Hung Jury bar. The winner, now known as Ken Vegas, went on to become a generative force for the local drag king scene, including the regular shows that ran at Chaos in the Dupont Circle area in the early 2000s. Historian Bonnie Morris, now at the University of California at Berkeley, attended the Chaos nights regularly when she lived in the area and remembers that 'the routines became very sophisticated,' tackling topics like gender roles in wartime. But playfulness also reigned. 'There would be an opener where all the kings would parade through and hand out lollipops.' The popularity of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' has elevated the form's visibility. But on-screen drag can be competition for in-person performers, observes Regina Jozet Adams, a local drag celebrity: 'Why bother going to the clubs when you can sit in your PJs, pop some popcorn and stream as much drag as you can tolerate?' Drag has also been in the political crosshairs of late. Still, says Dylan B. Dickherson White, Mx. Capital Pride 2024 — who will contribute an Elton John homage to 'Drag Through the Decades' — the art form is right for the current moment, offering catharsis to both performer and viewer. 'Acts that are completely exuberant and joyful — it's a defiance in itself,' they say. Mr. Henry's, 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Date: June 8 (two seatings). Price: $25 admission includes unlimited mimosas and 'Blairtinis.'
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Appeals court temporarily reinstates Trump tariffs
Washington — A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., on Thursday temporarily halted a federal trade court's decision blocking most of President Trump's sweeping tariffs, reinstating the levies for now. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said in a brief order that it would grant the Trump administration's request for an immediate administrative stay "to the extent that the judgments and the permanent injunctions entered by the Court of International Trade in these cases are temporarily stayed" for now. A three-judge panel on the trade court unanimously ruled Wednesday that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, which Mr. Trump invoked to impose the levies, did not give the president the authority to set unlimited tariffs on imports from nearly every foreign nation. The U.S. Court of International Trade permanently blocked Mr. Trump's 10% tariff assessed on virtually every U.S. trading partner, as well as the president's duties on imports from Mexico, Canada and China.
