Latest news with #Soc
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DOGE results murky amid Elon Musk's exit
June 10 (UPI) -- Elon Musk's work in the government has ended after five months and former White House staff have serious doubts about the Department of Government Efficiency self-reported results. To date, DOGE claims that it has saved the government about $180 billion by slashing the federal workforce, ending contracts, selling assets and cutting grant programs. However, its so-called "Wall of Receipts" is filled with questionable or inaccurate entries, according to Elaine Karmarck, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Karmarck led President Bill Clinton's Reinventing Government Initiative, a program that cut 426,000 civil servants from the federal payroll and cut federal and agency regulations. There are three metrics Karmarck told UPI she uses to measure how effective DOGE is. Some of those metrics will not be available until the next administration takes office on Jan. 20, 2029. The first metric is whether there are fewer people working in the federal government at the end of President Donald Trump's term. There are about 2.2 million federal employees, a number that -- despite narratives claiming the government continues to grow -- has been consistent for decades. In the 1940s, there were as many as 3 million federal employees. In the 1950s, there were about 2.5 million. In the 1980s, the number of federal employees increased back to about 3 million. It has remained between 2 and 3 million since. Federal judges have ruled that some federal employees DOGE advised to be fired must be rehired. Musk also said that it has made mistakes in some layoffs, including laying off employees with the National Nuclear Safety Administration who are responsible for the safekeeping of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The second metric is whether there are fewer government contracts and fewer dollars spent on those contracts. DOGE lists more than 11,000 contract terminations totaling $34 billion in savings. It says more than 15,000 grants have been terminated resulting in about $44 billion in savings. Third is the government's performance as measured by economic markers such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics' unemployment reports as well as people's own experiences receiving government services. "That's a biggie. In other words, you can cut the government but if you have airplanes crashing and you have massive mix ups in Social Security checks, nobody is going to be applauding you for this," Karmarck said. DOGE's goal has been to cut about $2 trillion in federal spending. UPI reached out to the White House Press Office and Tesla's press office for interviews or comments. Neither responded to the requests. About a quarter of the government's budget is discretionary spending, meaning spending that is subject to appropriations by Congress. It amounts to less than $2 trillion. In fiscal year 2024, discretionary outlays totaled about $1.8 trillion. The rest of the budget is mandatory spending, also known as direct spending. This funding goes toward programs like Social Security, Medicare, veterans' benefits and other programs. Jenny Mattingly, vice president of government affairs for Partnership for Public Service, told UPI it would be difficult to reach DOGE's goal without cutting into mandatory spending. "Most of the U.S. budget is this mandatory, non-discretionary spending," Mattingly told UPI. "Just a small portion, comparatively, goes to the federal workforce." While the number of federal employees has remained relatively consistent, Mattingly notes that there are fewer federal employees per capita as the population has grown. "When you look at the U.S. population, that's exploded," she said. "So we actually have fewer federal employees per capita than in the past and they're doing an enormously greater magnitude and scope of work than the federal government did, say 30, 40, 100 years ago. What Congress and administrations have authorized the government to do is far greater and far more complex than it was." Measuring DOGE's progress five months in remains a challenge. The most recent date that DOGE updated its payment statistics or "receipts" was May 13. At that time, less than half of those receipts were itemized. The most cost savings, indicated by DOGE's "Agency Efficiency Leaderboard," have come from the Department of Health and Human Services, followed by the General Services Administration, the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management. "The list they put on the DOGE website turns out to be about 40% inaccurate," Karmarck told UPI. "We can't take their word for it. They were very sloppy. They made no effort at transparency other than a website which just has a list of things." An example of the inaccuracies shared by Karmarck is that DOGE has taken credit for ending contracts that ended before Trump was inaugurated. Faith Williams, director of the Effective and Accountable Government Program for Project on Government Oversight, agrees that DOGE's website cannot be trusted based on its inaccuracies and a lack of transparency. Inaccuracies have been brought to DOGE's attention on social media and it has made some corrections, though questions remain about its transparency. "Transparency has been an issue since day one," Williams told UPI. "This is an example of where DOGE has the power of a cabinet-level agency when it wants to but doesn't have to recordkeep when it doesn't want to. DOGE gets to be whatever is convenient in the moment." Musk's initial role -- as stated by him and Trump -- was to lead DOGE in an effort to tackle waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government for the purpose of making it run more efficiently. The White House later downplayed his direct role with DOGE, referring to him as an adviser to the president. The murkiness of Musk's true role in DOGE underlines why Williams has concerns about its structure, mission and lack of transparency. She has been investigating the office since it began, looking into its structure, who works for DOGE and its potential conflicts of interest. "One thing we learned fairly early on DOGE, its structure was very questionable. It was very opaque and it was opaque by design," Williams said. "That opacity really helped shield it and its actors and its actions from any kind of accountability, whether that's from members of the public or even congressional accountability or even in the courts." "Who led DOGE and worked at DOGE was one thing one day and a different thing on a different day depending on what was advantageous," she continued. Project on Government Oversight filed a lawsuit against DOGE over its lack of recordkeeping made available to the public and accessing sensitive records. DOGE faces lawsuits from other organizations related to its alleged lack of compliance with the Freedom of Information Act. In March, U.S. District Court Judge Casey Cooper ruled that DOGE's records are likely subject to the Freedom of Information Act. This was in response to a lawsuit by the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. There are several more lawsuits against DOGE related to its handling of data, compliance with FOIA and methods of cutting federal workers. In contrast, Karmarck's Reinventing Government Initiative did not face any litigation. "The reason we had no lawsuits is we followed the law," she said. "We passed a buyout bill so we had the congressional authority for buying people out. We simply followed the law." Instead of recommending Congress take actions like laying off federal employees or rescinding funds it has approved, DOGE has taken unilateral actions resulting in lawsuits. Funding approved by Congress requires congressional action to end. DOGE is not a congressionally approved agency, as a president cannot unilaterally create a new agency. He can create a new office, as past presidents have done. The authority of that office to take actions is limited, making it closer to an adviser than a federal agency. Accessing federal data systems and making changes is among the actions DOGE has taken that have raised the greatest concerns. Beth Noveck was the founding director of the White House's Open Government Initiative, a program started under President Barack Obama's administration that focused on using technology and data to modernize and improve government operations. She is currently the director of the Governance Lab and its MacArthur Research Network on Opening Governance at New York University. Noveck told UPI oversight on DOGE is past overdue, due to reports of the data it has accessed or attempted to access, including Medicare and Medicaid payment data, Social Security records, student loan data and the Office of Personnel Management systems. "Who has access and how it is being used is something we need an accounting of," Noveck said. "It's concerning and it seems that we're giving access to the likes of Palantir [Technology] to combine data that will effectuate mass surveillance and control. The risk is not just a failed attempt at cost savings, it's a successful attempt at authoritarian overthrow." The main tenets of DOGE are not new, evidenced by the work Noveck and Karmarck did for past administrations. There are nonpartisan government oversight entities that existed before Trump's current term as well, including the Office of Government Ethics and the inspectors general. However, shortly after Trump returned to office he fired the head of the Office of Government Ethics and 18 inspectors general. Last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., released a report on Musk's 130 days working in the government. The report alleges that Musk used his position to direct lucrative government contracts toward himself and his companies SpaceX, Tesla, Boring Company and Starlink. Amid an online feud with Musk following his departure as a White House Adviser, Trump has threatened to cancel all contracts with his companies. Warren's report also alleges that Musk and DOGE undercut agencies responsible for regulating his businesses and stopped enforcement actions against them.
Buzz Feed
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
I Asked 10 Questions Backstage At Broadway's "The Outsiders" And Here Are The Incredible Insights I Learned
It's a chilly afternoon as I walk down 45th Street to the Jacobs Theatre. Making my way to the box office, I hear the cast rehearsing the Act 2 song "Trouble" while multiple groups of fans come in and out, looking for last-minute tickets to the evening performance. Brody meets me inside a few minutes later and happily offers to show me around. Outsiders star and Tony and Grammy nominee Brody Grant has had a whirlwind year, portraying Ponyboy Curtis, the youngest Curtis brother with dreams of leaving Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Tony Award-winning 'Best Musical' has made a huge splash on Broadway and is one of the city's most sought-after tickets. We walk backstage, where Brody spots stage manager Beverly Jenkins, who he introduces as "the best woman in the world." We wave to some of the cast on stage, and I'm struck by the camaraderie I can feel between the cast and crew, as well as the genuine fun they are having preparing for the show. I tell Brody about my front-row experience (the best way to see the show is at the front of the action, where the rubber 'dirt' they use comes flying off stage). "It was a lot of fun!" I say, "I collected some of it and put it with my playbill." Brody laughs. "I'm happy you enjoyed that," he says, taking a tiny handful of the 'dirt' on the stage and giving it to me. Brody points out a few props, like the Soc's Corvette, and I spot the tire used throughout the show. We sit to chat about The Outsiders and Brody's music, including his new single, "All Talk." Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. BuzzFeed: Ponyboy opens the show, sitting on the tire and writing in a notebook. What are some things you write about? Brody: I always write a noun, an adjective, or a verb. Sometimes I write song lyrics. Sometimes, I'll start writing poetry. I'll always write down a prayer for our cast, crew, ushers, and everybody working on the show. God, let us soar safely. Give us the wings to fly, and let us do it safely. Because it is a physical show — it's intense! It was my grandfather's birthday recently, and so sometimes I'll write dedications. He turned 87 recently. That's awesome! Brody: There was a point when we were out of town when my Grandpa wasn't doing well, and I thought, I want to have something for him, something from the show to share with him. I went over to Justin [writer, Justin Levine] and Sky [Sky Lakota-Lynch portrays Johnny], and I was like, "Hey, could we do a little of 'Stay Gold,' and could we just sing it? I'll just do a harmony on the spot, and then I can just send it to him?" (Brody pulls up the video on his phone). He really liked it, and luckily, he's all good. "Stay Gold" used to be performed only by Johnny but eventually became what it is now, which has Ponyboy and Johnny singing in harmony. It is so special to me that moment organically got its way into "Stay Gold." It makes me feel like my grandfather will always be a part of this show. Even when I'm not in the show anymore, that part of us will always be there. How do you stay in shape for so many performances a week? Brody: I just saw my trainer this morning. His name is Corey, and he's a great guy. It's helpful to do things to prevent injury because it is an intense piece of theater — it is specifically athletic. You're moving on uneven ground, and it's wet from the rain, and you're tired, you know, when it's the second act of the second show of the day. I also like to practice mindfulness. I like to put my phone down, take deep breaths, and not text people back right away. I think that's totally healthy. I try to stretch. Pretty much as soon as I get to the building, I'm warming up; I'm doing the lip trills; I'm doing the straw phonation and all that. The show is a workout, and speaking for the role that I play, you have to spend time outside of it to make sure that your body is functioning right because it is a deceivingly physical part. Speaking of intense scenes, we need to chat about the rumble. What was it like learning the choreography? Brody: It is a dance, you know what I mean? It's a fight, but it's a dance. The Kuperman brothers, who are brilliant, have been working on it since the workshop, even before we did our out-of-town production in La Jolla. Fun fact — we did a six-week workshop before the show opened where I was actually Sodapop [Ponyboy's older brother]. The Kuperman brothers kind of put it together there and then finessed it on their own time. Between that time and now, it's been such a gradual evolution. There are parts that have been in it since that workshop, like that moment where Ponyboy gets sucked into the clump, and then he does a kick in the air. What's going through your mind when you perform it? Brody: What's going through my head at that moment is to look alive, plant my feet, plié, and make sure my knees are bent so I can stay mobile. It's hyperactive, and it's raining — half the time, I forget it's raining once it starts. Also, to breathe in and out through the nose because that helps everything stay cool. You're also just staying aware and trying to be mindful of all your scene partners. In the moments where it doesn't have to be super harsh or anything, you just kind of take it easy. There's a moment where I've got someone in a lock. And whenever I do that, I'm literally patting their shoulder, I'm like, "Yeah, we got this." Sometimes I'll sing a song (laughs). Just finding those moments — our Director, Danya Taymor, calls them soft landings. Even when things are intense, find one moment just to breathe, just to be like, "We're good, yeah?" and then keep going. It is an incredible scene. The Kupermans, our lighting designer, our projection designer, and our director all came together in such an amazing way. Adam Rapp is the book writer for our show. We would do these workshops where we would just kind of sit and read the show, and he'd read the stage directions. And his stage direction for the rumble — it's the coolest stage direction I've ever read. Ponyboy has so many great songs in the show. Do you have a personal favorite to perform? Brody:"Great Expectations" is such a beautiful song. The music of The Outsiders is written by Justin Levine and a band, Jamestown Revival, and they're amazing. They drew from Bill Withers, and Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen, and so a lot of the songs are that structure: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, sometimes maybe a bridge, chorus, like a set folk or pop song. And "Great Expectations" is so different, almost like a stream of consciousness! Brody: It is, and I texted Justin Levine, great guy, and I was like, "What is the formula for this song? It's not like an A, B, A, B, C, B, structure song," and he broke it down for me. It's so cool because when that song is its best, I feel like it's a perfect combination between Frank Ocean and Les Mis — something orchestral, but then something very soulful, like Frank. It's the hardest to sing in the show by a long shot. Even beyond reaching the high notes, it's getting the words out. Because they are so important. You really are opened up to Ponyboy's heart and the way he sees people. Speaking of music, you recently released a song, "All Talk," that I saw got some Spotify Editorial playlisting! Can you share a bit about your songwriting? Brody: Before The Outsiders came to my life in the way that it is now, I was songwriting like crazy. Most of the time I spent in New York was working at the Flatiron Equinox, just waking up at 3 a.m. to get there (I had the graveyard shifts at Equinox), or just going and meeting people and writing songs. I was just really using social media to connect with producers and songwriters. "All Talk" was the first song I wrote when I moved to the city. This amazing guy named Michel, one of two of the duo Lucky Dog, reached out to me through Instagram, and we connected. As an independent artist right now, let's say the goal is to release one song a month. I say this knowing that it's challenging — this goal might change, it might not. I have a lot of songs that I went back to and thought, I need to release this into the world. I'm also looking to meet more songwriters and producers and just get to work, especially now that I'm in the rhythm of the show and that the awards are done. I really want to commit some time to that while also being in The Outsiders. (Brody shows me a demo of a new song he's working on — it's excellent!) You also went to the Grammy Awards recently! [ The Outsiders was nominated for Best Musical Theater Album]. How was that experience? Brody: It was one of the most amazing experiences. Also, congrats to Hell's Kitchen. They won 'Best Musical Theater', which I thought was awesome. Alicia Keys — she doesn't miss when it comes to the music; it's just like, wow! At the awards, I heard Bruno Mars start to sing, and I remember watching Bruno Mars absolutely kill it on the Super Bowl halftime show with Red Hot Chili Peppers. It changed my life. He's just an incredible artist. I look up to that guy so much artistically, and it made me emotional. While I was just sitting there, I looked over, and I saw, is that Bruno Mars in a cowboy hat? Nah, there's no way. And then he started singing with Lady Gaga, and I just lost it, like it was amazing. As I watched him walk off with his Grammy, I was just like, I want to be back here one day and perform as a nominee for my solo project. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen. When I saw the show on opening weekend, I ran into Angelina Jolie [producer] in the orchestra, and she was so wonderful to meet. What is it like working with her? Brody: She's really a brilliant woman, and as an artist, she is iconic. I would talk to her about some things in the show that I was dealing with creatively, and she always helped to kind of get me on my feet. She's also a very gracious person. Very often, usually once a week, she'll send these juice shots to our backstage, the ones with the ginger and the turmeric and all that. It really helps. It's been a real blessing to have her as a confidant, to be like, "Hey, I'm trying to navigate this scenario in my life or this scenario in the show." And she's just open. This is a great reminder to me, no matter how far you go in any given career, to try to keep that humility that she has. It's kind of how I felt when I watched Kendrick Lamar give his speech at the Grammys; I was just like, he's so humble. He's one of the best rappers in the entire world, and he's so humble. I haven't met Kendrick, though I hope to one day. To be that level, you need to keep a level head, you know? And I think she really possesses that — she's a great person. Also, for anyone who reads this, go and watch Maria! It's a great movie. She's phenomenal in the film. Ponyboy is a character who has connected with so many generations. What is your own connection with him? Brody: I could write a whole novel about it, but Ponyboy, he's an artist, and he's born into a space where that's not necessarily something you can just share with everybody. Ponyboy is a product of his environment, and he has to be tough. He has to at least try to just literally survive in his environment. I was born in Michigan. I lived on dirt roads, and that was my life. And going back to that town, what's crazy is, it hasn't changed. There are not a lot of opportunities there yet for artists, and I say yet because one day, I would like to help that along. When you're an artist, but you don't really know which way to go with it, you don't even know you could possibly be that — it just makes a young person feel lost. I think I felt that way for a long time. I also resonate with Ponyboy as a person. He's very observant, and he tries to learn not only from his mistakes but from other people's. He tries to be content with what he has, which I really respect. I guess the biggest thing I could say is Ponyboy and I are thinkers. I also feel that Ponyboy, at least in my interpretation of him, is a bit spiritual. He talks about it in the book, like going to church with Johnny, and Two-Bit drops a Bible, and then they never go back because they're too embarrassed. But I grew up singing in church choir, which was an amazing experience. I just feel like I always responded to music and was interested in the poetry of the music. And I think Ponyboy is very much like that — the fact that he's the type of person where he looks at the sunset and then he's reminded of a poem. I think there's something very spiritual about him. Susie Hinton [author of The Outsiders ] spoke to a group of the cast about how Ponyboy is kind of the most unfiltered version of herself, just on the page. I also feel that deeply. I feel that a great piece of art, like a show like this, can touch people's spirits, touch people's hearts and souls, and hopefully open them for the better.
