Musk Probe

A rift between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk escalated on Thursday with the two trading barbs on their respective social media platforms. Reports from the Treasury Department show Trump's tariffs have raised nearly 70-billion dollars so far this year. And, migrant detainees staged a protest at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement run facility in Miami.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Roberta Rampton, Pallavi Gogoi, Eric Westervelt, Lisa Thomson and Arezou Rezvani. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, our technical director is Carleigh Strange and our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.

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President Trump trades barbs with Elon Musk over the Big, Beautiful, Bill, Trump implements a sweeping travel ban, and the President calls for an investigation into the Biden auto-pen controversy. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. Beam: Visit https://shopbeam.com/WIRE and use code WIRE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. ZocDoc: Find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Visit https://Zocdoc.com/WIRE #sponsored Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump signed a proclamation banning visitors from 12 countries and partially restricting travelers from seven others. While Senate Republicans consider Trump's budget bill, Elon Musk criticizes what it could mean for the deficit. And, as the U.S. and Iran hit a sticking point in nuclear talks Russian President Vladimir Putin suggests he could weigh-in.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Jason Breslow, James Hider, Lisa Thomson and Arezou Rezvani. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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Plus, a giant plume of dust is headed to Florida.

US Steel is entering a multi-billion dollar partnership and Japanese competitor Nippon Steel. President Trump campaigned on a promise to block the deal. Now he says he approves it, so what changed? Harvard University for now can continue enrolling international students after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction. And Elon Musk is leaving the Department of Government Efficiency, commonly referred to as DOGE.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Kelsey Snell, Lauren Migaki, Padma Rama, HJ Mai and Mohamad ElBardicy. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.

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Plus, YouTube turns 20.

After years of trying to revive his flailing social media company, Elon Musk has pulled off a turnaround at X. It comes after Musk decided to merge X with his artificial intelligence company xAI. The deal values the combined business at over $100 billion. WSJ’s Alexander Saeedy explains how Musk has pulled the app formerly known as Twitter back from the brink of bankruptcy, thanks in part to his proximity to President Donald Trump. Jessica Mendoza hosts. Further Listening: - The Musk-Twitter Saga -- from The Journal.  - Trump 2.0: The Musk-Trump Bromance   Sign up for WSJ’s free What’s News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wall Street remains shaky amid tariff uncertainty, an economic expert gives us his take, and left-wing protests pop-up all over the country to protest Trump and Musk. Get the facts first with Morning Wire. Old Glory Bank: Go to https://oldglorybank.com/wire today to open your account and put your money in the hands of people you can ACTUALLY trust. Vanta: Get $1,000 off Vanta at https://vanta.com/morningwire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump’s tariffs are set to take effect, France’s leading candidate barred from presidential ballot, and Musk and DOGE uncover Social Security abuse. Get the facts first on Morning Wire. Lumen: Head to http://lumen.me/WIRE for 15% off your purchase. Shopify: Go to https://Shopify.com/morningwire to sign up for your $1 per month trial period and upgrade your selling today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senator Marsha Blackburn challenges Democrats to condemn organized violence against Tesla. Plus DOGE’s mission to eliminate government waste, and the Senate's role in supporting President Trump's cost-cutting agenda. Get the facts first on Morning Wire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump’s unprecedented effort to shrink the federal labor force is impeding work at government sites across the country. Three laid-off federal employees tell their story and WSJ’s Lindsay Ellis reports on the wider impact of the layoffs. Further Listening: - Inside DOGE's Campaign of Secrecy  - Inside USAID as Elon Musk and DOGE Ripped It Apart  Further Reading: - The Collateral Damage of Trump’s Firing Spree  - The Federal Workers Who Are Not Quite Fired, Not Quite Working  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus, beef tallow’s unlikely comeback.

Plus, who can do the Daffy Duck voice?

President Trump says that his Cabinet secretaries are actually supposed to be the ones to make staffing decisions, not Elon Musk and his DOGE entity. Also, we hear from employees at the Veterans Health Administration about how they feel about DOGE emails asking them to spell out what they did last week. Plus, a look at where things stand on the treatment of Long COVID.

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In the first few minutes of the Trump presidency, Elon Musk’s programmers made a surprise incursion into a key personnel agency. Since then, DOGE programmers operating in the shadows have burrowed into systems across the government, resulting in thousands of layoffs. WSJ’s Scott Patterson explains how DOGE has entered vast parts of the federal bureaucracy.  Further Reading: -Inside DOGE’s Clash With the Federal Workforce  -DOGE Claims It Has Saved Billions. See Where.  Further Listening: -Trump 2.0: The Musk-Trump Bromance  -Inside USAID as Elon Musk and DOGE Ripped It Apart  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a busy month in D.C. for Elon Musk. WSJ’s Tim Higgins joins Ryan Knutson and Molly Ball to discuss what Musk’s strategies as a CEO can tell us about his plans for DOGE and the federal government. Plus, we get into Trump’s relationship with the judiciary and take a question from a listener about American expansionism.  Further Reading: -Musk Brings His Business Playbook to Washington: Move Fast and Claim Victory  -DOGE, Musk and Trump—Our Reporters Answered Your Questions  Further Listening: -R.I.P. CFPB?  -Trump 2.0: Less Foreign Aid, More Tariffs  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Employees at the General Services Administration are facing massive staff cuts and threats of near-constant monitoring, three top Trump administration officials are in Europe this week talking with European leaders about transatlantic issues, and proponents of going to Mars see an opportunity in Elon Musk's close relationship with President Trump.

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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Brett Neely, Ryland Barton, Gisele Grayson, Janaya Williams and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from David Greenburg. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

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The Trump administration's newly installed acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief Russell Vought is closing the agency and has ordered staff to halt all work. WSJ’s Brian Schwartz explores what the agency does and why it’s become the next target for Trump allies like Vought and Elon Musk. Further Listening: - Trump 2.0: Less Foreign Aid, More Tariffs  - Inside USAID as Elon Musk and DOGE Ripped It Apart  - Trump’s Tariff Whiplash  Further Reading: - CFPB to Close Office After Vought Tells Staff to Halt All Supervision  - Russell Vought Taking Over as New Acting Head of CFPB  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dutch authorities ban demonstrations for 3 days after attacks on Israeli soccer fans following a game in Amsterdam. President-elect Donald Trump benefited from his relationship with billionaire Elon Musk during his campaign - how could Musk benefit once Trump returns to office? And with Republicans controlling the Senate next congress, what could this mean for the federal judiciary?

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The Washington Post analyzes new polling that shows Harris cutting into Trump’s advantages on economic issues.

Reporter Caitlin Dickerson traveled along one of the most dangerous paths that migrant families take to the United States. She shares the story on Apple News In Conversation.

So much about real-estate commissions just changed. The Wall Street Journal has details.

The investigation into Matthew Perry’s death has led to multiple charges. The Hollywood Reporter has more.

The Los Angeles Times looks at what Elmo — and his human friends — learned by asking Americans about their mental health.

Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.