Today’s top story illustrates why Eon Musk’s DOGE appointment is a walking conflict of interest. There is a distinct irony in Musk appearing in the Oval Office proclaiming his findings of massive waste and fraud in the federal government. Meanwhile on to that top story.
From the Associated Press:
Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles.
Now, Musk’s close relationship with President Donald Trump means many of those federal headaches could vanish within weeks or months.
On the potential chopping block: crash investigations into Tesla’s partially automated vehicles; a Justice Department criminal probe examining whether Musk and Tesla have overstated their cars’ self-driving capabilities; and a government mandate to report crash data on vehicles using technology like Tesla’s Autopilot.
The consequences of such actions could prove dire, say safety advocates who credit the federal investigations and recalls with saving lives.
“Musk wants to run the Department of Transportation,” said Missy Cummings, a former senior safety adviser at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “I’ve lost count of the number of investigations that are underway with Tesla. They will all be gone.”
The actions have sparked outcries from legal scholars who say the Trump administration’s actions are without modern-day precedent and are already upending the balance of power in Washington.
The Trump administration has not yet declared any actions that could benefit Tesla or Musk’s other companies. However, snuffing out federal investigations or jettisoning safety initiatives would be an easier task than their assault on regulators and the bureaucracy.
Investigations into companies like Tesla can be shut down overnight by the new leaders of agencies. And safety programs created through an agency order or initiative — not by laws passed by Congress or adopted through a formal regulatory process — can also be quickly dissolved by new leaders. Unlike many of the dismantling efforts that Trump and Musk have launched in recent weeks, stalling or killing such probes and programs would not be subject to legal challenges.
As such, the temporal and fragile nature of the federal probes and safety programs make them easy targets for those seeking to weaken government oversight and upend long-established norms.
“Trump’s election, and the bromance between Trump and Musk, will essentially lead to the defanging of a regulatory environment that’s been stifling Tesla,” said Daniel Ives, a veteran Wall Street technology and automobile industry analyst.
HEADLINES:
With firings and lax enforcement, Trump is moving to dismantle government’s public integrity guardrails (AP)
Fiery Directives Under Trump’s Justice Dept. Signal a Significant Shift (NYT)
Top Democrat Warns The U.S. Is 'Staring The Death Of Democracy In The Eyes' (HuffPost)
Key things to know about how Tesla could benefit from Elon Musk’s assault on government (AP)
The CFPB took aim at Big Tech. Then Elon Musk moved to dismantle it. (WP)
Trump Muses About a Third Term, Over and Over Again (NYT)
Trump’s Plan Comes Into Focus: Make America Corrupt Again (Rolling Stone)
Trump pushes ahead as courts, Democrats try to block him (WP)
White House Failed to Comply With Court Order, Judge Rules (NYT)
What do Hamas delay and Trump threat mean for Gaza ceasefire deal? (Guardian)
Jordan's King Abdullah heads to the White House as Trump pushes a Gaza takeover plan (NPR)
Trump pressures Egypt and Jordan to take Palestinians displaced from Gaza (WP)
UC president says cuts to key federal research funds would be ‘catastrophic’ (Berkeleyside)
We got a staff list for Elon Musk’s DOGE (Business Insider)
The European Union said it would respond with "firm and proportionate countermeasures" after US President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, escalating fears of a trade war. (Reuters)
Trump's push to make Canada the 51st state could backfire on Republicans (MSNBC)
Canada is not going to be the 51st state, former envoy says (Politico)
Trump's national security adviser: 'I don't think there's any plans to invade Canada' (NBC)
China builds space alliances in Africa. (Reuters)
US justice department tells prosecutors to drop NYC mayor's corruption case (BBC)
Trump Killed a Major Report on Nature. They’re Trying to Publish It Anyway. (NYT)
A New Kind of Crisis for American Universities (Atlantic)
What the judicial branch can do when a president refuses to comply with a court order (NPR)
Remote work was a boon for people with disabilities. What happens as employers pull back? (USA Today)
Why Taylor Swift Getting Booed at the Super Bowl Was Even More Chilling Than You Think (Glamour)
Vance pushes ‘America First’ AI agenda, accuses allies of overregulation (WP)
Intel Stock Soars After JD Vance Vows AI Chips Will Be Made in U.S. (Barron’s)
What’s Behind Elon Musk’s Hostile Bid for Control of OpenAI (NYT)
Pinkfish helps enterprises build AI agents through natural language processing (TechCrunch)
Poll Finds Majority Of Americans Would Support Wind Turbines If They Sliced Deli Meat As Well (The Onion)
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