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Boston Globe
a day ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
After His Trump Blowup, Musk May Be Out. But DOGE Is Just Getting Started.
At the Interior Department, DOGE members have been converted into federal employees and embedded into the agency, said a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. And at the Environmental Protection Agency, where a spokesperson said that there are two senior officials associated with the DOGE mission, work continues apace on efforts to dismantle an agency that Trump has long targeted. 'They are still internally going forward; we don't really feel as if anything has stopped here,' said Nicole Cantello, a former lawyer for the EPA who represents its union in Chicago. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Whether DOGE keeps its current Musk-inspired form remains an open question. Some DOGE members on Friday expressed concern that the president could choose to retaliate against Musk by firing people associated with the initiative. Others could choose to leave on their own, following Musk out the door. And DOGE's role and even its legality remain the subjects of legal battles amid questions over its attempts to use sensitive government data. Advertisement But the approach that DOGE embodied at the outset -- deep cuts in spending, personnel and projects -- appears to have taken root. Even with Musk on the sidelines, DOGE on Friday notched two legal victories. The Supreme Court said that it can have access to sensitive Social Security data and ruled that, for now, the organization does not have to turn over internal records to a government watchdog group as part of a public records lawsuit. Advertisement DOGE staffers are becoming 'far more institutionalized' within government agencies, said Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, during an appearance before lawmakers Wednesday, a day before the relationship between Musk and Trump combusted. Vought, who has been a quiet, behind-the-scenes driver of the program to shrink government even as Musk took the spotlight as its celebrity spokesperson, said he envisioned DOGE staff working 'almost as in-house consultants as a part of the agency's leadership.' Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement, 'The mission of eliminating waste, fraud and abuse is a part of the DNA of the federal government and will continue under the direction of the president, his Cabinet, and agency heads to enhance government efficiency and prioritize responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.' With DOGE, Musk sought to orchestrate an extensive overhaul of the government. He promised to eliminate almost one-third of the federal budget, $2 trillion, and remake federal agencies into streamlined, tech-oriented entities that operated just like his businesses. The billionaire adopted the same playbook he used to take over his social media company, then known as Twitter, in 2022. Guided by DOGE, the administration urged staffers to resign from their jobs and laid off even more; canceled leases and demanded workers return to offices; slashed contracts; and rooted out programs Trump and Musk disfavored, like those focused on diversity and inclusion. Musk's cost-cutting target was later revised, dropping from $2 trillion to $1 trillion, and then down to $150 billion. The group's own website claimed it saved $180 billion, but its calculations have been inflated by significant errors and guesswork. Advertisement The group's errors have included posting claims that confuse 'billion' and 'million,' double-counting the same contracts, claiming credit for canceling programs that had been dead for years, and boasting about cuts that had been reversed. Courts blocked some of DOGE'S initiatives, some dismissed employees were reinstated when their work proved to be essential, and congressional appropriations kept many funds beyond Musk's grasp. All told, DOGE has tried to gain entry to more than 80 data systems across at least a dozen agencies, according to New York Times efforts to track the group's data access. Those data sets include systems that hold personal information about federal workers, detailed financial data about federal procurement and spending, and intimate personal details about the American public. Several days before his departure, Musk was optimistic about the legacy he was leaving in Washington. DOGE's mission, he said on X, 'will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.' But by Tuesday, Musk was fretting that his accomplishments were being washed away by the Trump policy bill making its way through Congress. The bill 'more than defeats all the cost savings achieved by the @DOGE team at great personal cost and risk,' he wrote on X. Nonetheless, the DOGE imprint can be seen across the government. One of DOGE's most prominent members, billionaire Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, is planning to remain in government, according to a statement from the Office of Personnel Management. Gebbia, a close friend of Musk, is working on a project to digitize the federal government's slow and paper-based retirement process. Advertisement Carl Coe, who had previously led DOGE efforts within the Energy Department, was named chief of staff on May 2. Coe, who had a background in software development, had been working with 40 different offices with the Energy Department on 'process improvement and cost savings,' the agency said. In recent weeks, the Energy Department has begun canceling billions of dollars in Biden-era awards to companies trying to demonstrate technologies that might one day help tackle global warming. A department spokesperson declined to comment. At the EPA, Cantello, the union lawyer, said that she expected no change in the administration's mission to overhaul the agency. She said it was acting on proposals articulated in Project 2025, the conservative policy blueprint for a Trump presidency, with DOGE employees working hand in hand with Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator. 'We see these policies continuing on,' she said. Molly Vaseliou, an agency spokesperson, said the department was focused on efficiency. 'Over the past couple of months,' she said, 'we actively listened to employees at all levels to gather ideas on how to increase efficiency and ensure the EPA is as up to date and effective as ever.' At the Interior Department, one former DOGE employee, Tyler Hassen, has assumed the powerful role of acting assistant secretary of policy, management and budget. In that role, Hassen oversees human resources, training, grants and contracts, and has the authority to fire people without approval from Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, according to the order under which Burgum assigned Hassen the role. As of Friday morning, Hassen was still in that role, according to a memo from Burgum. Advertisement (BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.) In recent weeks, Hassen has worked to cancel agency contracts in ways that directly align with Trump's desires, according to two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the record. For example, his office has canceled contracts with Harvard University for earthquake relief research as well as contracts with the state of Maine as Trump has escalated fights with the university and the state. (END OPTIONAL TRIM.) Also still in place at the Interior Department as of Friday morning was Stephanie Holmes, a former DOGE employee who is now the agency's current acting chief human capital officer. Holmes is the founder of BrighterSide, a now-defunct human resources company that focused on pushing back against corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Neither Hassen nor Holmes responded to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Interior Department declined to respond to questions about DOGE employees. At the Social Security Administration -- one of the most politically sensitive agencies in government -- two members of DOGE, Aram Moghaddassi and Michael Russo, are effectively serving as co-chief information officers, according to two people with knowledge of the arrangement. Moghaddassi appeared alongside Musk and other members of DOGE during a Fox News interview. Still, the continued influence of DOGE could diminish in the coming days if the White House chooses to retaliate against team members. Some DOGE employees were angry with Musk's actions Thursday, according to a person close to them, and spent the day commiserating with one another in private messages. The concern, the person said, was that Musk had made them a target for potential firings, especially after he invoked Trump's possible ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Some DOGE workers have begun calling the White House to ask if their jobs are secure. Advertisement (BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.) For other members of DOGE, the idea was never to stay in Washington or the federal government for long. They often signed up for short stints, taking leaves from careers at technology companies or law firms that they expected to return to. Even for DOGE workers who were planning to leave government anyway, the meltdown between Musk and Trump could hasten their exit, according to Sahil Lavingia, a former DOGE software engineer at the Department of Veterans Affairs. He said Thursday's events could also deter potential new hires from applying. 'If you join a company and the CEO leaves, you're going to look for something else,' said Lavingia, who said he was terminated from DOGE and the VA last month after he gave an interview to Fast Company. 'If you want to work for Elon, you're not going to go work for DOGE anymore.' The veterans agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lavingia also said that the departure of Steve Davis, Musk's right hand at DOGE, could significantly weaken the effort. 'I just don't know how it functions, because everything ran through him,' he said. (END OPTIONAL TRIM.) DOGE's fate could also be settled in the courts. In May, a federal judge allowed a lawsuit to proceed challenging the entire DOGE operation as an unlawful arm of an already powerful executive branch. The lawsuit argues that an entity with as much sway and power as DOGE cannot exercise that authority without leaders vetted and confirmed by the Senate. In her opinion, Judge Tanya Chutkan noted that DOGE has been accused of seizing control of at least 17 federal agencies and has spawned several dozen other lawsuits across the country challenging its authority or trying to reverse its actions. (STORY CAN END HERE. OPTIONAL MATERIAL FOLLOWS.) 'Several federal agencies have been dismantled, thousands of federal employees have been terminated or placed on leave, sensitive data has been haphazardly accessed, edited, and disclosed, and federal grants and contracts have been frozen or terminated,' she wrote. This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republican lawmakers try to dodge Trump-Musk crossfire, aim to avoid 2026 damage
By Bo Erickson and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Republican lawmakers are trying to dodge the crossfire between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, with members saying they hope the billionaire brawl will subside without hurting their chances to protect their majority in the 2026 midterm elections. "It's just not helpful. When you have division, divided teams don't perform as well," Representative Don Bacon, a Republican whose Nebraska district is perennially among the most competitive House of Representatives races. "I'm a military guy. I commanded five times. If you have division in your team it's not good," said Bacon, who served in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years. Musk, the world's richest person and CEO of Tesla, was the biggest donor in the 2024 election cycle and a prominent fixture in Trump's White House as he ran a controversial campaign to slash the federal government before stepping down last week. Their buddy-movie dynamic evaporated this week as Musk and Trump openly feuded over a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill that Musk blasted as likely to add significantly to the federal government's $36.2 trillion in debt. He called for Trump's impeachment -- something the Republican-controlled Congress is unlikely to take up -- and mused publicly about the creation of a new political party. While Republican lawmakers did not regard that as a serious prospect, they signaled concern about the rift as they look to defend narrow majorities in the House and Senate next year. "I don't think lashing out on the internet is the way to handle any kind of disagreement, especially when you have each other's cell phones," Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who runs a Musk-inspired government efficiency subcommittee, "So I hope this gets worked out," said Greene, who has a history of posting inflammatory rhetoric on social media that is often aimed at Democratic opponents. Greene represents a solidly Republican district, but Republicans will need to break with historical precedent in 2026 if they are to win the roughly three-dozen competitive seats that determine the House majority. Their path is easier in the Senate, where Democrats have fewer opportunities to win seats, according to nonpartisan analysts. CAMPAIGN IMPLICATIONS? Throughout Musk's tirade, he also took credit for both Trump's win and the Republicans' 220-212 House majority and 53-47 Senate edge. He made nearly $300 million in political donations, with most of the money going to his own super PAC which was focused on helping Trump return to the White House. He played a smaller role in down-ballot races, which accounted for about 10% of his America PAC's spending. Musk also gave $10 million to a super PAC that backs Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate. Musk is a divisive figure and his track record on elections is not unblemished. Earlier this year, Musk and political groups tied to him poured more than $21 million into a Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The Republican he supported was soundly defeated. "Elon Musk is free to spend his money however he so chooses to do so," said Representative Rob Bresnahan, a Republican who unseated an incumbent Democrat in Pennsylvania, "If you do the right thing and fight for your district, I'm not really worried about much." Lawmakers signaled little concern over Musk publicly toying with the idea of a third political party. "I think he'll find that a very hard thing to do, but he's spent a lifetime doing very hard things," said Representative Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican. They were more worried about Musk succeeding in killing the tax-cut bill, stung by the memory that he had succeeded in December in blocking the first version of a bill meant to avert a government shutdown. Deficit hawks welcomed his efforts to push for deeper spending cuts. "I welcome people like Elon Musk that try to hold our feet to the fire. I'll take as much air cover as I possibly can get," Representative Eric Burlison, a Missouri Republican, who voted for the House version of the bill despite spending concerns. "We often disappoint our voters when we don't do the cuts that we campaign on, when we're not fiscally responsible." Many Democratic lawmakers, faced with their own questions on how to win back congressional power, have watched the Trump-Musk fight with glee. "My heart goes out to both of them," Representative Sarah McBride, a Delaware Democrat, said. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, asked whether the Republicans' infighting could help their political prospects, said, "I can tell you for certain that the extreme and reckless budget, the GOP tax scam, Trump's one big ugly bill, will be a central part of the contrast that exists between House Democrats and House Republicans in the context of the midterm elections."
Chicago Tribune
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘Mountainhead' review: A movie from ‘Succession' creator Jesse Armstrong covers familiar territory
During its four-season run on HBO, there was a critical consensus around 'Succession' that I did not share. Most felt the series was an entertainingly scathing, darkly funny dissection of the rich and their ridiculous, deeply unhappy lives. I admired the show's glossy craft and absurdist performances, but my issue with 'Succession' is that it never had anything to say beyond the straightforward point that these pampered monsters have all-too-human sources of anxiety and this makes them dangerous to the world at large. OK. Sure. But what kind of commentary is that, exactly? Where does it get us? The show's creator returns to the insular world of the uber-wealthy once again in his latest project, the HBO movie 'Mountainhead,' about four exceedingly vapid, highly-resourced men — including one who is seemingly based on Elon Musk — who arrive at a sleek, modernist mountainside villa for a weekend getaway, while the outside world devolves into one crisis after another. The project had a fast turnaround, greenlit in December, filming in March over just five days and now premiering less than two months later. Clearly, writer and director Jesse Armstrong was inspired by everything that's happening around us in this particularly fraught moment and I appreciate the speedy approach; rarely is TV or film able to be this responsive. It's also nice to see HBO dip its toe back into the original film business. I just wish it had been with a project far better than this. At least Armstrong didn't make 'Mountainhead' into a series. So there's that. The megalomaniac Mountainheads of 'Mountainhead' are as follows: Jason Schwartzman is the home's owner named Souper aka Soups; Cory Michael Smith is Venis, the obnoxious Musk-inspired character; Ramy Youssef as Jeff, an AI founder who, at the very least, seems semi-alarmed at what's happening in the world compared to his compadres (it's a low bar to begin with); and Steve Carell as Randall, the elder statesman — or 'dark money Gandalf,' as one of them calls him affectionately — with a terminal diagnosis and therefore an interest in finding a workaround to that pesky reality of his mortality. To call them friends would be a bridge too far. Real human connections seem beyond them. Ven's social media app has just launched a deep fake feature he describes as a content tool that's 'gonna make the (expletive) printing press look like pre-cum.' Armstrong has a fixation on this kind of dialogue, as if audiences wouldn't pick up on how crass these characters are unless they're talking in outrageous obscenities. I always think a little goes a long way with this sort of thing, whereas Armstrong is a maximalist. 'You only build a pedophile lair once, so you gotta get it right,' Jeff says sarcastically as he looks around Soup's cavernous house. Instead of a subversive excavation of the way men like this talk, it plays out like giddiness on Armstrong's part, thrilled to be manufacturing a context that allows him to put those words in a character's mouth. But when it comes to stories of the rich and corrupt, I want a writer who has something — — meaningful to say beyond 'Aren't these people gross? But get a load at what all that money can buy!' It's an observation that fails to answer the unspoken question: What do you, the writer of this script, want to with this observation? Armstrong is both uninterested in narrative consequences for his targets and content to remain on the periphery, simply making the same observation over and over again, as if that has meaning in the end. (This pattern will feel familiar to anyone who has watched 'The White Lotus.') The men are awkward and immature, with stunted social skills, presumably because they never bothered to learn otherwise. They didn't have to. Schwartzman is the only one who seems to be playing his character with a sense of 'Actually, why would I take this guy seriously as a human being?' and it works. Materially, these characters do not think or act in ways that differentiate themselves from anyone on 'Succession.' They are power hungry and profoundly insecure, living empty, unsatisfying lives where all relationships are transactional — a reality that holds true even when their net worth goes up. 'Mountainhead' is a talky movie and I tend to like talky movies. But at some point in the nearly two-hour running time, it just becomes boring. It's also worth mentioning that the film is strangely disingenuous about AI, a technology Ven supposedly needs for his app to mitigate the spread of false information. Not one person expresses any skepticism, which suggests we're meant to take this premise seriously. The reality is that AI itself creates lies. The idea that it could be the stopgap to the very problems it creates is not just laughable, it's embarrassing that Armstrong made it a key plot component. 'Mountainhead' — 1.5 stars (out of 4) Where to watch: 7 p.m. Saturday on HBO (and streaming on HBO Max)
Business Insider
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Insider
‘This Is a No-Go Zone,' Says Top Investor About Tesla Stock
Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares shot higher over the past week, sparked once again by Elon Musk's magic touch in moving the stock with just a few words. Protect Your Portfolio Against Market Uncertainty This time, Musk revealed that he plans to scale back his involvement with the White House and refocus his energy on leading the EV giant. Investors cheered the news, sending Tesla's stock soaring ~26% in the days following its Q1 earnings call on April 22. The skyward movement was somewhat ironic, considering the weak earnings numbers the company has reported. Slowing EV delivery figures shared in early April (down 13% year-over-year) gave way to disappointing financials, with automotive revenues dropping by ~20% and an EPS miss by 34%. One top investor, known by the pseudonym Value Portfolio, believes the 'atrocious' quarter is just the tip of the iceberg for TSLA, and is urging investors to stay far, far away. 'With a P/E ratio far exceeding competitors and no clear path to revenue in key areas, Tesla remains our top short pick for 2025,' explains the 5-star investor, who is among the top 2% of TipRanks' stock pros. Value Portfolio also pushed back on hopes that Tesla's growth in energy and services could offset its shrinking automotive business, arguing that both divisions are still too small to meaningfully move the needle. And then there's the biggest dream of all: Tesla's robotaxi ambitions. Here, too, Value Portfolio delivered a reality check, noting that despite all the hype, Tesla 'has yet to make a penny' from its self-driving tech. Meanwhile, Waymo has been earning income off of its robotaxi service for over a year. Adding insult to injury, the anti-Musk sentiment continues to grow, with boycotts a real possibility. Value Portfolio posits that this anger might not even be fully reflected in the Q1 numbers – as Trump only took office a few weeks into the new year. In other words, more Musk-inspired losses could be on the horizon. In the face of this gloomy financial picture, the investor argues that the company's P/E multiple of 400x is simply not reasonable. As a reference, Value Portfolio points out that other automobile competitors such as Ford, Toyota, and GM trade at single-digit valuations. 'We don't see the pain as being over, with a boycott combined with a tough overall economy and the company's stock starting in an overvalued position,' concludes Value Portfolio, who rates TSLA a Sell. (To watch The Value Portfolio's track record, click here) Wall Street is not quite as sour as Value Portfolio, but not exactly brimming with optimism either. With 17 Buy, 11 Hold, and 12 Sell recommendations, TSLA holds a consensus Hold (i.e., Neutral) rating. Its 12-month average price target of $284.74 implies almost no movement in the year ahead. (See TSLA stock forecast) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks' Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks' equity insights.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Random acts of protest: How federal workers are quietly pushing back on DOGE
Federal workers are protesting mass firings and workplace policy changes with subtle acts of dissent. The resistance follows workforce cuts and demands from Trump, Musk, and the White House's DOGE office. Workers are using snarky emails, pronouns, and legal action to counter the administration's policies. First came the spoons, and then the staplers — subtle dissent is rippling through federal government offices in the era of cost cutting under Trump. In response to a host of wide-ranging orders from President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the White House's DOGE office, they're displaying pride flags, flaunting their pronouns, and sending snarky emails. As one worker said, it's all about "malicious compliance." "I just go back and forth over which is worse: giving them what they want (an excuse to fire us) or kowtowing to their illegal bullshit," the federal worker told BI, referencing Musk's threat to workers who don't list their week's accomplishments in an email. Business Insider spoke to 10 federal workers about the ways they're pushing back, granting them anonymity to protect their jobs. While some publicly booed leaders in meetings, others said they're trying to be subtle about their dissent because they aren't always sure which of their coworkers or bosses agree with them. It's illustrative of the rift that's broken open in recent weeks as the administration has spearheaded efforts to terminate thousands of federal workers, cut federal funding to key programs, and change the way remaining employees do their jobs. The federal employees BI spoke to said they've found comfort in banding together and making statements on the job whenever they can. The first signs were workers embracing a spoon symbol as a contrast to the "fork in the road" offered by the government, which tried to incentivize workers to leave under a deferred resignation program. A meme of a stapler referencing the cult-classic movie "Office Space" and daring someone to "come and take it" circulated online. And then there's good old-fashioned unionizing. "This convinced me to join the union at my agency right away, and convince four coworkers to join too," a longtime federal worker said, adding that DOGE has been the "best thing" to ever happen to union membership. BI heard it from dozens of federal workers in recent weeks: They didn't like the emails asking them to list their accomplishments from the past week. A worker at the Office of Personnel Management, the agency that sent the Musk-inspired email, said that information sharing is "huge" among the federal workforce right now — including "ways to write your stupid bullet points." One employee said that at a NASA town hall, workers booed a director who didn't have clear guidance on how to respond. A Department of Defense worker said, "A lot of people reported the emails as phishing." While many federal agencies told workers that they were not required to respond to the first email, OPM sent a second email a week later — and some agencies shifted to requiring responses. A Health and Human Services worker was one of a few who said they'll continue to refuse to respond. Several workers described protests against the administration's new policies regarding DEI and gender, as workers were asked to strip pronouns from their email signatures. Some NASA workers have been introducing themselves with their pronouns during town halls and company meetings, the NASA employee said, and some have pushed back on the agency taking down "gender neutral" signs on restrooms by putting their own signs up. One worker at the Social Security Administration said that while they can't include "she/her" in their email signature, they can still wear a button that says it. "As soon as DEI stuff came down in the offices, it went up in our cubicles," the SSA worker said. "I know I went out and bought a Trans pride flag for my cubicle as soon as they made us only list male/female." The NASA worker said that while they suspect there might be "DOGE sympathizers" in upper management, most of their coworkers are "pretty upset and have no problem asking about how to deal with DOGE." An OPM worker said they are being careful because they assume they're being monitored but that everyone they know has been "uniformly appalled." One Department of Defense worker said a coworker tried challenging them to a fight after overhearing them discuss their Trump-related fears. "I try to be conscious about who I voice my opinions around," they said. Potential legal action has also helped some employees resist the administration's changes. The OPM worker said that discussing how to file appeals with other employees has been unifying, and the HHS worker is hopeful that there will be further class actions to counter "the emotional distress, hostile work environment, and harassment." Unions for federal workers filed a lawsuit on February 19 to block the Trump administration's firing of probationary federal workers, or workers who have typically been on the job for under one year. American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley said in a statement that the administration "has abused the probationary period to conduct a chaotic, ill-informed, and politically-driven firing spree." But for now, workers are engaging in moments of pushback: One federal worker is using their email signature to resist, signing off every email with a quote on the limits of OPM's power. And the HHS worker is doing the most prudent thing for their career: "I've been trying to work business as usual," they said. "But I've also been applying to other jobs." The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI. Have a tip? Contact these reporters via email at jkaplan@ or asheffey@ or via Signal at julianakaplan.33or asheffey.97. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider
