The almighty Musk: How the world’s richest man became Washington’s most powerful bureaucrat
CNN
After accruing immense governmental power over the past month, tech billionaire Elon Musk got his biggest boost yet this week when President Donald Trump signed an executive order giving him broad authorities over the hiring and firing of federal workers.
After accruing immense governmental power over the past month, tech billionaire Elon Musk got his biggest boost yet this week when President Donald Trump signed an executive order giving him broad authorities over the hiring and firing of federal workers. Musk heads into the weekend not only as the wealthiest man on the planet but also, as described by one critic, the “most powerful bureaucrat in the history of America.” Over three weeks, Musk’s role leading the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” has ballooned far beyond what many foresaw, raising fundamental questions of a possible constitutional crisis and spurring dozens of lawsuits. Hardly a few hours go by without fresh headlines about DOGE staffers imposing new rules government agencies, sidelining and firing career officials, and cutting budgets for programs they don’t like. The new executive order Trump signed Tuesday paves the way for mass layoffs across the federal workforce by installing a “DOGE Team Lead” at each agency and directing cabinet secretaries and all agency directors to coordinate staffing decisions with Musk’s operation. It also gives DOGE authority to block agencies from filling vacancies with new hires, unless the top official at that agency personally overrules that recommendation. And, it imposes a strict new rule that only one new federal employee can be hired for every four that leave as part of the DOGE cuts, with some exceptions for law enforcement and immigration. At the Oval Office signing ceremony, Musk responded to critiques that he’s become the very thing he claims to be fighting — an unelected bureaucrat with enormous power — by pointing to the 2024 results: “You couldn’t ask for a stronger mandate from the public.”
Around 2,000 federal agents are being deployed to Minneapolis as part of the Trump administration’s latest effort to crack down on immigration, two law enforcement officials told CNN, while the city and its officials are reeling from a welfare fraud scandal that’s reaching a fever pitch this week.
As US special forces carried out an audacious, night-time raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Friday night, President Donald Trump watched the action unfold from his estate at Mar-a-Lago. Among those at his side was Marco Rubio, his powerful secretary of state and national security advisor.
Five years after the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol, the fundamental facts of that day continue to fuel deep divisions that have created dueling political realities.
Ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro entered a plea of not guilty in his first court appearance in New York as President Donald Trump threatens other countries with US action. Follow here for the latest.
Federal Emergency Management Agency leaders were told to prepare for a possible gutting of their workforce — by as much as half — in the coming months, according to an internal email sent to top FEMA officials last month.
The Department of Homeland Security said global hotel chain Hilton has launched a “coordinated campaign” to refuse service to agents by cancelling their room reservations in Minneapolis as the agency readies for escalated immigration enforcement there.
Critics of the US ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro this weekend have regularly invoked President Donald Trump’s comments during the 2016 campaign.
The US is making plans to try to intercept a fleeing oil tanker that Russia has claimed ownership of, according to four people familiar with the matter, setting up a possible confrontation between Washington and the Kremlin over the vessel’s fate.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to speak on his political future today as he faces criticism over fraud allegations against day care centers.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s decision to abandon his bid for a third term has suddenly sparked one of the biggest political questions of the new year: Will Sen. Amy Klobuchar run for governor?
President Donald Trump’s second term entered a new phase over the weekend, with the administration launching a successful operation in Venezuela that captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will hold a news conference after announcing he won’t seek a third term. Follow here for live updates.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Monday that the Pentagon is taking administrative action to punish Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, by cutting his retirement pay for participating in a video where he and other Democratic lawmakers reminded US service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders.