Musk was not completely unsuccessful. He captured our data, and got rid of the entities that were investigating him. All in all, a success from his point of view.
Well, his actions cratered Tesla's business, and despite the company's stock rallying on Elno's "return", sales are dropping world-wide, thanks to both stellar Chinese EV products and car-buyers totally put off by Elno himself.
Agree with you, Lance. Tesla is dead. As in d-e-a-d.
Musk killed it himself with his erratic swing to Facism and Far-Right Zealotry.
Waiting for Tesla stockholders (major investors?) to sue him personally for his direct role in destroying the company's brand and its shareholder value. Should be a doozy of a lawsuit.
He isn't smart enough to recognize his own market base. Liberals are far more likely to be environmentally concious and therefore more drawn to electric vehicles than conservatives. Liberals are also more likely to care about things like feeding starving children and therefore react to things like literally taking the food from the mouths of the people in 3rd world countries. I mean even frump himself isn't a supporter of electric vehicles (despite the sales pitch on the WH lawn) why expect his base to be? I agree, his shareholders should sue him, I would love to see that
I am American, but I live in Sweden and here even the Tesla sales are tanking. And I have to be honest anytime I see a Tesla. I feel like that tells me all I need to know about the person driving it. And that I quite literally hate them.
Well I automatically hate anyone driving the cyber truck aka douche mobile. But others I have a hard time deciding- I mean there are a lot of people who can't afford to just dump their Tesla's and get new cars. And prior to this madness I could see being able to separate his craziness from the company. I do appreciate the ones who have covered their Tesla symbols with other things or put anti-musk messages on their cars, I know not to hate them :)
I have a friend from HS (and I'm 60 so friends for a very long time) who just blocked me on FB because even as a liberal he still stands by Tesla and gets pissed when people can't separate muskrat from "a really good car company". I've never been a Tesla fan so it's not like my opinion has changed a lot over the last few months, I just have doubled down on my hatred of Tesla. And he just apparently couldn't handle my opinion LOL
I have two friends with Teslas, both bought them two to three years ago, so lots of buyers didn’t know what Elmo was like when they bought. The trucks though? If you bought one, you knew good and well he was an evil schmuck.
Next quarterly report should be brutal...the "Street" no longer has faith in Elno's pronouncements, only his fanboy investors and cult followers...short the POS stock TODAY!
Fortunately there are more EV's out there to choose from now, whereas not too long ago Tesla with its range and charging stations was ahead of the game.
I think the Chinese have gotten the jump on Tesla, in quality, price and design, while Elmo was busy cosplaying DOGE Master. Even if Tesla came up with some cool new designs [not trash compacters on wheels], they still have the problem of outdated, under-performing tech. But the biggest problem is their association with Nazis thanks to Musk. Turns out that's deal breaker for most people. Who knew?
Of course he denied it. Whether rich, poor or in between a person with a drug addiction will always follow the same pattern. It's sad in his case because probably like Matthew Perry, he's surrounded by people more than willing to fill the role of the enabler. I used to say from my own experience with drug addiction in the family (about the enablers) that others were going to, 'love my son to his death'.
And bigger contracts for Starlink, SpaceX and weapons contracts. Trump’s “Golden Dome” fantasy is essentially a boondoggle for the purpose of making Elon the sole contractor in the project.
Just like Reagan and his obsession with another pipe dream, the defense system called star wars:
"The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as "Star Wars", was a program announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 to develop a missile defense system to protect the United States from nuclear attack. The program's goal was to make nuclear weapons obsolete and end the doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD)" from Wikipedia
This. On inauguration day Musk faced $2.37B in potential legal liability from 11 fed agencies. All still on DOGE's (Department of Government Evisceration) chopping block or already dropped.
But isn't he really just postponing the inevitable? Trump and the right won't stay in power forever and I doubt he'll stay 'safe' forever. In fact, the backlash against Trump, Musk, etc. and right-wing policies could be beautiful and lasting. Let's hope.
Right! Musk (like all the others) is driven by greed. He is still the richest man in the world – two times as rich as the two richest below him – two times!! These 'boys' will never, ever have enough. I too hope there will be harsh and lasting backlash.
Yes, we need to hope for the best. However, those who positively HATE any kind of progress or hint of liberalism have tentacled themselves into government everywhere...it is going to be hard to root them out of the cracks and crevices where they lurk.
My original source was a Robert Reich post on Bluesky that led to this article in The Guardian: "Elon Musk’s Doge conflicts of interest worth $2.37bn, Senate report says"
Determining the exact number of investigations Elon Musk is facing is complex due to the ongoing nature of legal actions and varying definitions of "investigation". However, based on recent reports, a Senate memo published in April 2025 indicated that as of the Inauguration Day in January 2025, Musk and his companies faced at least 65 "actual or potential" regulatory or enforcement actions from 11 different federal agencies.
Here are some key findings from the Senate memo:
The potential liabilities from these actions could reach $2.37 billion.
Most of the potential penalties, around $1.89 billion, were linked to Tesla.
A notable potential liability is a $1.19 billion fine from a Justice Department investigation into alleged false statements about Tesla's Autopilot and Full-Self Driving features.
Regarding the impact of Musk's role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), it is reported that many of the threats have been "neutralized" since January 2025. Concerns have been raised in the Senate memo that Musk may have used his position in DOGE to potentially influence oversight and investigations. Additionally, reports suggest that some Inspector Generals investigating Musk's companies were fired by the Trump-Musk administration.
An "AI Overview"? Sorry, that doesn't reach normal standards for a source. "It is reported..."? By whom, in what publication or release? If you can, could you identify the specific publications or authors from which this information was derived?
Before Inauguration Day, federal agencies had at least 32 open investigations into Musk’s companies. Since then, Trump has appointed Musk as a special government employee to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is slashing government programs and jobs and targeting many agencies that are investigating his companies. His actions in this role have led to the end of many, if not all, of these investigations. The end of these investigations will not only boost Musk’s bottom line, but they will also make U.S. workers less safe. The following are examples of how Musk has benefited from the Trump administration halting investigations into Tesla, Neuralink, and SpaceX.
The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) began auditing Tesla in 2024 to ensure adherence to equal employment laws for federal contractors. Tesla has been widely cited as creating a hostile work environment, with rampant racial bias and instances of sexual harassment. The OFCCP can levy fines of millions of dollars if they find wrongdoing and even ban contractors from bidding on future projects—an important enforcement mechanism because federal taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be going to companies that break the law and exploit workers. However, Trump signed an executive order effectively eliminating the OFCCP during his first week in office, effectively halting their investigation into Tesla and ensuring that U.S. workers will be subject to unlawful treatment.
In 2022, the inspector general at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched an investigation into Neuralink, a Musk-owned company developing brain-computer interfaces. But one of Trump’s first executive actions included illegally firing inspectors general from 17 federal agencies, including at the USDA. Though the content of the investigation was unclear, it was most likely due to the botched experiments that led to the deaths of multiple mammals, including monkeys. Numerous employees have complained that Musk has pressured the company into moving too quickly, not only leading to the unnecessary deaths but also compromising the research.
One of the first agencies the Trump administration attempted to dismantle is the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). While at first it was unclear why Musk and DOGE had their sights set on eliminating an agency focused on foreign aid, recent reports have shed light on Musk’s connection with USAID. In May 2024, the USAID inspector general announced it was investigating USAID’s relationship with Starlink (a subsidiary of SpaceX), which it had paid to provide internet services to Ukraine civilians. While the details of the investigation are not public, there is evidence Russia had access to Starlink, which was not supposed to be possible. However, the investigation will likely be dropped as the Trump administration moves forward with shutting down USAID.
Just before Trump took office, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it was investigating Tesla over its self-driving technology. Tesla has the largest number of crashes per driver of any car on the road—making it one of the least safe cars in America. Musk has frequently said that Tesla’s software and AI technology is its most valuable part, and a government investigation demonstrating that the software was not as good as advertised could have had far-reaching consequences for the company and for Musk’s wealth. Now, instead of being investigated, Trump is loosening rules on self-driving cars, benefiting Tesla and putting other U.S. drivers and pedestrians at risk.
These are just a few of the many examples of how the Trump administration has sided with billionaires at the expense of working people. Musk stands to gain significantly from Trump shutting down investigations into his various businesses, and it seems very clear new investigations will not be opened into Musk’s activities. This means that if workers in his factories are discriminated against, if his rockets continue to pollute the environment, or if he continues to violate election law, he will not face any consequences. Further, as head of DOGE, Musk has unfettered access to Americans’ sensitive and personal data, potentially giving him an advantage to future federal government contracts. While Musk’s days as a special government employee are numbered, it’s clear that U.S. workers, the environment, and the rule of law have all suffered to line the pockets of the richest man in modern history.
I agree. And these kids hacking into out personal information was not talked about enough as the real danger. Fraud, waste and abuse was a sham, except for what Musk created fo rhimself.
And he left his "Special" governmental position days before he, himself, would've been required to reveal HIS financial data. Also, he got some sweet taxpayer funded contracts for Starlink - maybe that'll offset his Tesla losses
You saved me some typing – – this is exactly what I was going to say. I don’t think saving money was ever musk’s goal. And his DOGE stooges are still embedded in agencies all across the government. The damage will continue
It's startling, even for Trump, to see him openly attacking Leonard Leo [which I'm all for, just to be clear]. Leo has so many judges, legislators and business execs in his back pocket, this will turn out about as well as Trump threatening Vladimir Putin. I thought the big break in republican ranks would come after the mid-terms as republicans started looking past Trump into the future. But it seems gloves-off time at the palace has already started. The problem? Leo and his cronies will still be around long after TACO Don is gone, and republicans know it.
Any legitimate effort to audit government spending and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse wouldn't have been turned over to a ketamine-addicted know-nothing like Musk and his creepy band of incels. Which is why DOGE was a bust on that score. As someone on the internet pointed out yesterday, "DOGE was so successful at rooting out government fraud and abuse that exactly nobody has been indicted." IMO, however, we should be worried about what's become of our personal data which was accessed by DOGE and exported.
Trump picking a fight with the courts and Wall Street over tariffs is going to be another own goal. Wall Street will bury any Trump appeal under a ton of amicus briefs, and I think the courts will side with the Constitution and rule that Trump, as president, exceeded his authority, which belongs to congress.
Trump started out this week in a bad position, and he's only gotten weaker - and more ridiculous - by the end of it. TACO Don has done serious damage to his image, and Trump knows it.
I think it is both startling and not. The thing with our felon in chief is that he doesn’t think about things like that strategically really. And when he’s alone or whatever the hell he is at one or two in the morning and posting his verbal diarrhea, there is nobody to even try to suggest he might not want to attack someone like Leo. I think even many of us who hate Trump have been a bit brainwashed thinking that he has an IQ in the double digits.
Agree, Kate. He's livid at being bench slapped by court after court, and he was probably asking who's to blame - because, of course, nothing is ever his fault. I doubt he could have picked Leonard Leo out of a line-up, but somebody in his inner circle mentioned Leo's name so Trump targeted him. It's more than likely he has no idea who Leonard Leo is or the consequences that may follow from painting a target on him.
To me it seems amazing but not surprising. Amazing that he took such vicious public bites at the hand that feeds him, but not surprising that he did it, given his profound personality defects, obsessions, and flat-out idiocy. Tillerson hit the nail on the head back in 2017: he's a fucking moron. He doesn't realize that he's sawing off the very tree limb he's sitting on.
By dissing Leo like that -- and BTW, Leo bears enormous responsibility for the perversion of the courts, especially SCOTUS -- the orange criminal dumps not just on Leo and the Federalist Society but also by extension on Charles Koch and the network of extremist far-right billionaires who over decades built the ultra-conservative apparatus, of which the Federalist Society is emblematic, now in place.
Honestly, I think somebody gave him a scapegoat to blame, and he ran with it. Trump is nothing if not completely incurious anything unrelated to himself. I doubt he knows the first thing about Leonard Leo and his network of think tanks and organizations that have been operating on the right to remake the courts in their image. Tillerson did, indeed, hit the nail on the head. Completely agree that Trump has no idea who he's offended by going after Leo.
With all the truly horrible things that this idiot has taken from us and has destroyed. It’s just feels like they can’t even leave simple things alone. I cringe and become nauseous if I hear the song YMCA. I hate the words big and beautiful. And I’m glad that tacodrives him crazy, but now every time I wanna have a taco I’m gonna think about Donald Trump. I wish they could just leave us with the little things.
There's a little place in the town just a couple towns north of me. Hole in the wall, absolutely delicious tacos and enchiladas. Can't remember if they have quesadillas or not. I will be up there this coming week and intend to order tacos. You can too. Your choice. Why should you let a joke about Trump take that away from you?
Nobody's taken tacos away from us. All they did was make a catchy acronym to make fun of Trump. That doesn't affect actual tacos, which are one of my favorite comfort food. They are still what they've always been. Anyone who gets hung up on confounding a delicious food with something that is a joke needs to learn how to chill. This just is not that big a deal.
When Justice Roberts handed the Fox the keys to the hen house he was complicit in setting up one man marauding by a president who is a total narcissist. I wish someone had a video of an earlier interview in his first term. A reporter asked “ Do you stand by that statement?” The president responded “I stand by nothing”.
It’s the only statement he has ever made that I believe. Why is everyone surprised?
He’s not cognitively or emotionally capable of standing by anything he says yet the media continue to analyze everything he says as if it was possible for him to make a rational decision on the basis of real world facts and consequences. It doesn’t take a degree in psychology to see that his thinking and emotions are completely unstable and out of control.
Reminds me of something he said during COVID in the first reign of terror, which I'm paraphrasing from memory, but was essentially something along the lines of not being at all responsible for the poor response and huge numbers of people dying daily.
He has always been this way — the buck stops literally anywhere else than with him.
Trump thinks everything is personal and while many detest him, including myself, his losses in court are due to weak legal theories pursued by sloppy and none too astute lawyers. Heaven help us if he's ever backed by smarter people.
Smart people have also observed that Trump will turn on a dime and even his loyal supporters can't be sure that he won't throw them under the bus at a wrong word. The only way for them to survive is to carefully keep his ear but stay far enough away so they don't get the inevitable blame and subsequent boot. Exhibit A: Stephen Miller. Trump is a rabid animal and cannot be trusted.
I have been trying to alert people for years about Leonard Leo, the Opus Dei operative poisoning our judiciary. It is ironic in the extreme to me that Donald Trump would call out this fellow sleazebag, which is wholly apt to them both. Leo wants a Roman Catholic theocracy, and may well have J. D. Vance and Russell Vought in his corner. Since Trump's pique is not with Leo's religious orientation, but the rectitude of his judicial recommendations, I am not overly sanguine about a rupture with the religious right. It would be a lovely bonus, though.
The DOGE digger wasp has laid its eggs in the data of the US government. Musk's departure may reduce the extent of further damage, but the damage is already considerable.
The unhappiness of billionaires over Trump's effect on the economy may prove to undermine Trump's future more than either of the other two events. Those billionaires are going to lean hard on their bought-and-paid-for Congresspeople to do something about the tariffs if the courts can't. Once GOP congressional obedience to Trump cracks, things ought to get interesting. There could well be hell toupeé.
Follow the money to see how billionaires and Christian Nationalists like Leonard Leo have stacked the Supreme Court and corrupted MAGA Justices to put Trump above the law with this interactive map.
I always find it humourous, and disgusting, that whenever TACO loses in court it's because "the system is rigged", "they are out to get him", "the courts are weaponized" and never because he's actually doing illegal things. And it amazes me that time and time and time again he loses these battles yet people are still willing to believe he's "doing all the right things". I mean I've always said if I had a friend who was arrested but it "wasn't his fault" people may believe him. But when he is arrested the second and third time when it "wasn't his fault" everyone around him will stop believing it's not his fault. So why keep the faith in this f-ing loser? It's mind boggling
yep. And this all started with him. How many "rigged" elections did we have before 2020? and now they are all rigged? I mean I'm not a conspiracy theorist but there is part of me that believes 2024 was somehow rigged, I mean all the swing states really? But I digress.
I think that about 2024 at times also. I wonder how much of it though is just incredulity that anyone would vote for Trump. Or, as John Pavlovitz over at Bluesky said: "I can't believe 77 million Americans rebooked on the Titanic."
That is a good analogy. I mean I was over the fact that people were still going to vote for him. I guess I look at the rallies- the amount of people Harris/Waltz were attracting and the energy they were creating vs TACO's rallies and just wonder where all those votes went. And the speed at which all these swing states were called when it took soooo long in 2020. When you look at how close some of these states actually ended up when the ballots were all counted I HAVE to wonder how so many of them were called within hours of poll closing. It honestly was my first trigger- just seemed too fast.
And you can be sure that if the situation was the same but the Dems won, there would be lots of court cases. Are the Dems too nice? I understand that the want to respect the election process but still . . . I go back to Bush-Gore – they gave up too easily. THAT was a stolen election.
IDK if they are too nice, I just don't think there was evidence. I mean they were never going to go off half cocked like trump did with his accusations and conspiracy theories. IF there was fraud it came in the form of messing with the computers somehow... yes I know the computers are offline but they do get programmed somehow. WIthout literal first hand knowledge it would be impossible to prove and dragging out the election with court cases you have no evidence for is their move not ours. I mean the whole reason TACO was allowed to run and his ass wasn't in jail was because the J6 trial never was- without irrefutable, concrete proof the Dems would have been just as bad as the Repugs. Now had we had hard evidence I think we would have seen court cases. Even now it's all just conspiracy theories and the "it just seems way off" kinds of feelings.
That's the thing -- Trump and his fellow narcissists are incapable of believing they aren't perfect and popular, so any opposition has to be rigged and protestors are 'paid. Sad. And sick.
Much as I would like to believe all this disarray wold lead to actual crack in the giant trump facade, I strongly suspect all the GOP senators will in the end fall into line and adopt this horrible bill
I fear that too.... and without taking out the provision that severely weakens our justice system. If that provision goes through, God help us all because that will serve frump his dictatorship on a gold platter
We must depend on the Senate Parliamentarian. If the GOP Senators intend to pass this mess by reconciliation, then it can only contain matters of changes to taxation and spending that aligns with the budget resolution--nothing else. Otherwise, it must go through the usual Senate procedure which makes it subject to possible filibuster and would have to have more than 60 votes to pass.
We must rely on the Senators that have turned a blind eye to everything illegal/unconstitutional that TACO has done since he took office? You think they care about doing it the "right" way anymore?
There is a statute called the Byrd rule, which requires that if a bill is to be passed using the reconciliation path, it cannot have anything other than changes to revenue or outlay. Yes, even the Senate Republicans have to follow those rules of what they pass is invalid and we can ignore it. Senators do not want to lose their power or their lucrative positions.
Well we'll see. I get this is a "requirement" but there have been a lot of "requirements" they seem to be willing to ignore. I mean if they know this, and expected to abide by this rule, why even put the other stuff in there if it will be meaningless in the end? And all the Dems can do is call them out on it but have no power to do anything else. I did hear it won't have enough votes to pass as is but I also know these Rs get very wishy washy when their feet are to the fire.
Use this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to your own reps, as well as those in other states on a specific committee important to a topic you’re sharing. Use your voice and make some “good trouble.”
Republicans started down the road today by following Newt Gingrich. Then, as party membership sagged, they embraced the Tea Party; it’s been a circus ever since. I’d like to see both parties come together to embrace getting rid of the Electoral College, get rid of tax loopholes for the rich, and remind themselves they are here to serve the 341,000,000 of us, not just the 900 billionaires who bribe them.
Why no mention that Musk has stolen so much private data. That was always the real prize.
Also, no attention to the fact that our National Security is in the hands of incompetent liars and that cybersecurity, especially against Russia, is greatly diminished. Those are the big dangers we all face.
The tariffs were always a market manipulation starting in the first Trump term with on and off tariffs.
Taco Don is almost too dumb to breathe. The billionaires put him in office to form an oligarchy. Now that he's angry with SCOTUS he's exposing Loe Lenard to public scrutiny. Lenard always does his work from the shadows. What if Taco Don gets angry at other dark money funders. I'm sure they won't appreciate the sudden exposure. Big Business is finally realizing that they actually need a stable economy to continue to make profits. I wonder how long it will take the MAGAS in Congress to realize they are on the wrong side of history too.
Musk was not completely unsuccessful. He captured our data, and got rid of the entities that were investigating him. All in all, a success from his point of view.
Well, his actions cratered Tesla's business, and despite the company's stock rallying on Elno's "return", sales are dropping world-wide, thanks to both stellar Chinese EV products and car-buyers totally put off by Elno himself.
Agree with you, Lance. Tesla is dead. As in d-e-a-d.
Musk killed it himself with his erratic swing to Facism and Far-Right Zealotry.
Waiting for Tesla stockholders (major investors?) to sue him personally for his direct role in destroying the company's brand and its shareholder value. Should be a doozy of a lawsuit.
He isn't smart enough to recognize his own market base. Liberals are far more likely to be environmentally concious and therefore more drawn to electric vehicles than conservatives. Liberals are also more likely to care about things like feeding starving children and therefore react to things like literally taking the food from the mouths of the people in 3rd world countries. I mean even frump himself isn't a supporter of electric vehicles (despite the sales pitch on the WH lawn) why expect his base to be? I agree, his shareholders should sue him, I would love to see that
I can hardly wait to see what Tesla's monthly sales are for May.
I am American, but I live in Sweden and here even the Tesla sales are tanking. And I have to be honest anytime I see a Tesla. I feel like that tells me all I need to know about the person driving it. And that I quite literally hate them.
Well I automatically hate anyone driving the cyber truck aka douche mobile. But others I have a hard time deciding- I mean there are a lot of people who can't afford to just dump their Tesla's and get new cars. And prior to this madness I could see being able to separate his craziness from the company. I do appreciate the ones who have covered their Tesla symbols with other things or put anti-musk messages on their cars, I know not to hate them :)
I have a friend from HS (and I'm 60 so friends for a very long time) who just blocked me on FB because even as a liberal he still stands by Tesla and gets pissed when people can't separate muskrat from "a really good car company". I've never been a Tesla fan so it's not like my opinion has changed a lot over the last few months, I just have doubled down on my hatred of Tesla. And he just apparently couldn't handle my opinion LOL
I also like the nickname "wankpanzer" for the cyberthingie.
We just point and laugh at Tesla vehicles, especially the cyber trucks.
Yup. I tend to point with my middle finger. 🤪
I have two friends with Teslas, both bought them two to three years ago, so lots of buyers didn’t know what Elmo was like when they bought. The trucks though? If you bought one, you knew good and well he was an evil schmuck.
I love the stickers/magnets saying something like “I bought it before I knew he was an asshole”.
Next quarterly report should be brutal...the "Street" no longer has faith in Elno's pronouncements, only his fanboy investors and cult followers...short the POS stock TODAY!
Fortunately there are more EV's out there to choose from now, whereas not too long ago Tesla with its range and charging stations was ahead of the game.
Yep. No matter what he does, Elmo won't be able to wash the Nazi stank off the Tesla brand. IMO, Tesla's only hope is to dump Elon and rebrand.
and hire some really good designers and upgrade the tech they are using...even so they will be way behind the Chinese EV's
I think the Chinese have gotten the jump on Tesla, in quality, price and design, while Elmo was busy cosplaying DOGE Master. Even if Tesla came up with some cool new designs [not trash compacters on wheels], they still have the problem of outdated, under-performing tech. But the biggest problem is their association with Nazis thanks to Musk. Turns out that's deal breaker for most people. Who knew?
Good. Swastikars are now an embarrassment (and the douchemobile trucks always seemed like self-mocking abominations).
Cybertrucks just scream 'I'm an incel!!!!'
Based on what I saw in a New York Times article, he needs drug rehab something fierce.
Musk admitted he takes Ketamine. When asked if he abuses it, he said no. Just like Matthew Perry.
Of course he denied it. Whether rich, poor or in between a person with a drug addiction will always follow the same pattern. It's sad in his case because probably like Matthew Perry, he's surrounded by people more than willing to fill the role of the enabler. I used to say from my own experience with drug addiction in the family (about the enablers) that others were going to, 'love my son to his death'.
Musk got exactly what he wanted – our data and all investigations into him halted.
And bigger contracts for Starlink, SpaceX and weapons contracts. Trump’s “Golden Dome” fantasy is essentially a boondoggle for the purpose of making Elon the sole contractor in the project.
Exactly! And Musk left back doors into every government system he demolished – all for his future use.
Just like Reagan and his obsession with another pipe dream, the defense system called star wars:
"The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as "Star Wars", was a program announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 to develop a missile defense system to protect the United States from nuclear attack. The program's goal was to make nuclear weapons obsolete and end the doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD)" from Wikipedia
Yup. Asinine boondoggle to shovel billions to defense contractors that funnel bribes/“campaign contributions” back to the swamp scum.
Absolutely, all the hogs will hit that trough. (with apologies to porcines for the comparison).
This. On inauguration day Musk faced $2.37B in potential legal liability from 11 fed agencies. All still on DOGE's (Department of Government Evisceration) chopping block or already dropped.
But isn't he really just postponing the inevitable? Trump and the right won't stay in power forever and I doubt he'll stay 'safe' forever. In fact, the backlash against Trump, Musk, etc. and right-wing policies could be beautiful and lasting. Let's hope.
Right! Musk (like all the others) is driven by greed. He is still the richest man in the world – two times as rich as the two richest below him – two times!! These 'boys' will never, ever have enough. I too hope there will be harsh and lasting backlash.
Yes, we need to hope for the best. However, those who positively HATE any kind of progress or hint of liberalism have tentacled themselves into government everywhere...it is going to be hard to root them out of the cracks and crevices where they lurk.
Sources?
My original source was a Robert Reich post on Bluesky that led to this article in The Guardian: "Elon Musk’s Doge conflicts of interest worth $2.37bn, Senate report says"
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/28/elon-musk-doge-conflict-of-interest
Report reveals how DOGE boss Elon Musk dodged $2.37 billion in fines - The Economic Times
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/elon-musk-may-have-dodged-2-37-billion-in-fines-thanks-to-trump-era-role-claims-report/articleshow/120717860.cms
AI Overview
Determining the exact number of investigations Elon Musk is facing is complex due to the ongoing nature of legal actions and varying definitions of "investigation". However, based on recent reports, a Senate memo published in April 2025 indicated that as of the Inauguration Day in January 2025, Musk and his companies faced at least 65 "actual or potential" regulatory or enforcement actions from 11 different federal agencies.
Here are some key findings from the Senate memo:
The potential liabilities from these actions could reach $2.37 billion.
Most of the potential penalties, around $1.89 billion, were linked to Tesla.
A notable potential liability is a $1.19 billion fine from a Justice Department investigation into alleged false statements about Tesla's Autopilot and Full-Self Driving features.
Regarding the impact of Musk's role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), it is reported that many of the threats have been "neutralized" since January 2025. Concerns have been raised in the Senate memo that Musk may have used his position in DOGE to potentially influence oversight and investigations. Additionally, reports suggest that some Inspector Generals investigating Musk's companies were fired by the Trump-Musk administration.
An "AI Overview"? Sorry, that doesn't reach normal standards for a source. "It is reported..."? By whom, in what publication or release? If you can, could you identify the specific publications or authors from which this information was derived?
The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (“PSI” or the “Subcommittee”)—the chief
investigative committee of the United States Senate—sought to understand the financial impact
of President Trump’s delegation of power on potential liabilities and scrutiny facing Mr. Musk
and his companies. As a first step, the Subcommittee attempted to quantify the legal exposure
presented by federal investigations, litigation, or other regulatory actions on or around January
20, 2025. The goal of this analysis is to estimate the financial liability that Mr. Musk and his
companies may stand to avoid through his efforts to gut the federal workforce and exert
influence over federal agencies. This analysis reveals for the first time the vast risk Mr. Musk
and his companies previously faced and may yet avoid as a result of his newfound influence. The
Subcommittee’s key findings are as follows:
• As of January 20, 2025, Mr. Musk and his companies were subject to at least 65 actual or
potential actions by 11 different federal agencies. Many other agencies have regulatory
responsibilities related to Mr. Musk’s companies but had no publicly known active
matters in January 2025.5
• The Subcommittee was able to estimate potential financial liabilities for 40 of the 65
actions by eight federal agencies involving Mr. Musk and his companies. The
Subcommittee’s research found, for the first time, that Mr. Musk and his companies faced
at least $2.37 billion in potential liability as of January 2025, includ\
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025-04-27-Minority-Staff-Memorandum-Elon-Musk-Conflicts.pdf
Before Inauguration Day, federal agencies had at least 32 open investigations into Musk’s companies. Since then, Trump has appointed Musk as a special government employee to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is slashing government programs and jobs and targeting many agencies that are investigating his companies. His actions in this role have led to the end of many, if not all, of these investigations. The end of these investigations will not only boost Musk’s bottom line, but they will also make U.S. workers less safe. The following are examples of how Musk has benefited from the Trump administration halting investigations into Tesla, Neuralink, and SpaceX.
The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) began auditing Tesla in 2024 to ensure adherence to equal employment laws for federal contractors. Tesla has been widely cited as creating a hostile work environment, with rampant racial bias and instances of sexual harassment. The OFCCP can levy fines of millions of dollars if they find wrongdoing and even ban contractors from bidding on future projects—an important enforcement mechanism because federal taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be going to companies that break the law and exploit workers. However, Trump signed an executive order effectively eliminating the OFCCP during his first week in office, effectively halting their investigation into Tesla and ensuring that U.S. workers will be subject to unlawful treatment.
In 2022, the inspector general at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched an investigation into Neuralink, a Musk-owned company developing brain-computer interfaces. But one of Trump’s first executive actions included illegally firing inspectors general from 17 federal agencies, including at the USDA. Though the content of the investigation was unclear, it was most likely due to the botched experiments that led to the deaths of multiple mammals, including monkeys. Numerous employees have complained that Musk has pressured the company into moving too quickly, not only leading to the unnecessary deaths but also compromising the research.
One of the first agencies the Trump administration attempted to dismantle is the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). While at first it was unclear why Musk and DOGE had their sights set on eliminating an agency focused on foreign aid, recent reports have shed light on Musk’s connection with USAID. In May 2024, the USAID inspector general announced it was investigating USAID’s relationship with Starlink (a subsidiary of SpaceX), which it had paid to provide internet services to Ukraine civilians. While the details of the investigation are not public, there is evidence Russia had access to Starlink, which was not supposed to be possible. However, the investigation will likely be dropped as the Trump administration moves forward with shutting down USAID.
Just before Trump took office, the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it was investigating Tesla over its self-driving technology. Tesla has the largest number of crashes per driver of any car on the road—making it one of the least safe cars in America. Musk has frequently said that Tesla’s software and AI technology is its most valuable part, and a government investigation demonstrating that the software was not as good as advertised could have had far-reaching consequences for the company and for Musk’s wealth. Now, instead of being investigated, Trump is loosening rules on self-driving cars, benefiting Tesla and putting other U.S. drivers and pedestrians at risk.
These are just a few of the many examples of how the Trump administration has sided with billionaires at the expense of working people. Musk stands to gain significantly from Trump shutting down investigations into his various businesses, and it seems very clear new investigations will not be opened into Musk’s activities. This means that if workers in his factories are discriminated against, if his rockets continue to pollute the environment, or if he continues to violate election law, he will not face any consequences. Further, as head of DOGE, Musk has unfettered access to Americans’ sensitive and personal data, potentially giving him an advantage to future federal government contracts. While Musk’s days as a special government employee are numbered, it’s clear that U.S. workers, the environment, and the rule of law have all suffered to line the pockets of the richest man in modern history.
https://www.epi.org/blog/corruption-in-plain-sight-how-elon-musk-has-benefited-from-the-first-100-days-of-the-trump-administration/
So much swampiness . . .
I agree. And these kids hacking into out personal information was not talked about enough as the real danger. Fraud, waste and abuse was a sham, except for what Musk created fo rhimself.
Sure, but what is going to happen to our data?? That's what we need to have investigated!
Not to mention his idiots are still there. He may not physically still in DC, but he absolutely still there.
I don't believe that he's actually leaving. My guess is he'll be around plenty, only they'll keep it out of the press.
And he left his "Special" governmental position days before he, himself, would've been required to reveal HIS financial data. Also, he got some sweet taxpayer funded contracts for Starlink - maybe that'll offset his Tesla losses
You saved me some typing – – this is exactly what I was going to say. I don’t think saving money was ever musk’s goal. And his DOGE stooges are still embedded in agencies all across the government. The damage will continue
And he got fewer competitors for contracts for his companies.
Also gaining more government contracts. Just one of those contracts alone generates $9 million dollars PER DAY for him.
Perhaps all he really cared about
Thank you, Jay, for staying on top of things for us. It’s a Sisyphean task but we’re all behind you.
It's startling, even for Trump, to see him openly attacking Leonard Leo [which I'm all for, just to be clear]. Leo has so many judges, legislators and business execs in his back pocket, this will turn out about as well as Trump threatening Vladimir Putin. I thought the big break in republican ranks would come after the mid-terms as republicans started looking past Trump into the future. But it seems gloves-off time at the palace has already started. The problem? Leo and his cronies will still be around long after TACO Don is gone, and republicans know it.
Any legitimate effort to audit government spending and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse wouldn't have been turned over to a ketamine-addicted know-nothing like Musk and his creepy band of incels. Which is why DOGE was a bust on that score. As someone on the internet pointed out yesterday, "DOGE was so successful at rooting out government fraud and abuse that exactly nobody has been indicted." IMO, however, we should be worried about what's become of our personal data which was accessed by DOGE and exported.
Trump picking a fight with the courts and Wall Street over tariffs is going to be another own goal. Wall Street will bury any Trump appeal under a ton of amicus briefs, and I think the courts will side with the Constitution and rule that Trump, as president, exceeded his authority, which belongs to congress.
Trump started out this week in a bad position, and he's only gotten weaker - and more ridiculous - by the end of it. TACO Don has done serious damage to his image, and Trump knows it.
I think it is both startling and not. The thing with our felon in chief is that he doesn’t think about things like that strategically really. And when he’s alone or whatever the hell he is at one or two in the morning and posting his verbal diarrhea, there is nobody to even try to suggest he might not want to attack someone like Leo. I think even many of us who hate Trump have been a bit brainwashed thinking that he has an IQ in the double digits.
Agree, Kate. He's livid at being bench slapped by court after court, and he was probably asking who's to blame - because, of course, nothing is ever his fault. I doubt he could have picked Leonard Leo out of a line-up, but somebody in his inner circle mentioned Leo's name so Trump targeted him. It's more than likely he has no idea who Leonard Leo is or the consequences that may follow from painting a target on him.
Many don’t.
To me it seems amazing but not surprising. Amazing that he took such vicious public bites at the hand that feeds him, but not surprising that he did it, given his profound personality defects, obsessions, and flat-out idiocy. Tillerson hit the nail on the head back in 2017: he's a fucking moron. He doesn't realize that he's sawing off the very tree limb he's sitting on.
By dissing Leo like that -- and BTW, Leo bears enormous responsibility for the perversion of the courts, especially SCOTUS -- the orange criminal dumps not just on Leo and the Federalist Society but also by extension on Charles Koch and the network of extremist far-right billionaires who over decades built the ultra-conservative apparatus, of which the Federalist Society is emblematic, now in place.
Honestly, I think somebody gave him a scapegoat to blame, and he ran with it. Trump is nothing if not completely incurious anything unrelated to himself. I doubt he knows the first thing about Leonard Leo and his network of think tanks and organizations that have been operating on the right to remake the courts in their image. Tillerson did, indeed, hit the nail on the head. Completely agree that Trump has no idea who he's offended by going after Leo.
Thanks Jay, for your continued good work.
Never thought I’d see the day when a “Mexican..”, would laugh at a TACO! I Aye chihuahua!
With all the truly horrible things that this idiot has taken from us and has destroyed. It’s just feels like they can’t even leave simple things alone. I cringe and become nauseous if I hear the song YMCA. I hate the words big and beautiful. And I’m glad that tacodrives him crazy, but now every time I wanna have a taco I’m gonna think about Donald Trump. I wish they could just leave us with the little things.
Now all I hear is TACO TACO MAN… I WANT TO BE.. A TACO MAN!
And that's the whole enchilada!
I see what you did there! 🤣🤣🤣
Me too!
Now I'm hungry...but I'll have to have a quesdilla, or an enchilada, I guess.
There's a little place in the town just a couple towns north of me. Hole in the wall, absolutely delicious tacos and enchiladas. Can't remember if they have quesadillas or not. I will be up there this coming week and intend to order tacos. You can too. Your choice. Why should you let a joke about Trump take that away from you?
Nobody's taken tacos away from us. All they did was make a catchy acronym to make fun of Trump. That doesn't affect actual tacos, which are one of my favorite comfort food. They are still what they've always been. Anyone who gets hung up on confounding a delicious food with something that is a joke needs to learn how to chill. This just is not that big a deal.
I know. It’s mostly tongue in cheek. But they have co-opted a lot. Just looking at an American flag makes me nauseous.
When Justice Roberts handed the Fox the keys to the hen house he was complicit in setting up one man marauding by a president who is a total narcissist. I wish someone had a video of an earlier interview in his first term. A reporter asked “ Do you stand by that statement?” The president responded “I stand by nothing”.
It’s the only statement he has ever made that I believe. Why is everyone surprised?
He’s not cognitively or emotionally capable of standing by anything he says yet the media continue to analyze everything he says as if it was possible for him to make a rational decision on the basis of real world facts and consequences. It doesn’t take a degree in psychology to see that his thinking and emotions are completely unstable and out of control.
Not the media I read.
Reminds me of something he said during COVID in the first reign of terror, which I'm paraphrasing from memory, but was essentially something along the lines of not being at all responsible for the poor response and huge numbers of people dying daily.
He has always been this way — the buck stops literally anywhere else than with him.
Surprising that a coalition of criminals would be turning on each other. Not.
Trump thinks everything is personal and while many detest him, including myself, his losses in court are due to weak legal theories pursued by sloppy and none too astute lawyers. Heaven help us if he's ever backed by smarter people.
Smarter people know that Trump is a loser, & aren’t interested in supporting his crackpot agenda.
Smart people have also observed that Trump will turn on a dime and even his loyal supporters can't be sure that he won't throw them under the bus at a wrong word. The only way for them to survive is to carefully keep his ear but stay far enough away so they don't get the inevitable blame and subsequent boot. Exhibit A: Stephen Miller. Trump is a rabid animal and cannot be trusted.
I still say Miller is a serial killer.
He does have the dead eyes of a real psychopathic killer, doesn't he?
And that he never pays for anything.
This constitutes good news for a Friday.
I have been trying to alert people for years about Leonard Leo, the Opus Dei operative poisoning our judiciary. It is ironic in the extreme to me that Donald Trump would call out this fellow sleazebag, which is wholly apt to them both. Leo wants a Roman Catholic theocracy, and may well have J. D. Vance and Russell Vought in his corner. Since Trump's pique is not with Leo's religious orientation, but the rectitude of his judicial recommendations, I am not overly sanguine about a rupture with the religious right. It would be a lovely bonus, though.
The DOGE digger wasp has laid its eggs in the data of the US government. Musk's departure may reduce the extent of further damage, but the damage is already considerable.
The unhappiness of billionaires over Trump's effect on the economy may prove to undermine Trump's future more than either of the other two events. Those billionaires are going to lean hard on their bought-and-paid-for Congresspeople to do something about the tariffs if the courts can't. Once GOP congressional obedience to Trump cracks, things ought to get interesting. There could well be hell toupeé.
A bad week for Trump is great news for America.
Follow the money to see how billionaires and Christian Nationalists like Leonard Leo have stacked the Supreme Court and corrupted MAGA Justices to put Trump above the law with this interactive map.
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/07/15/cannon-dismisses-case-against-trump-for-stealing-national-security-documents-follow-the-corruption-trail/
Thanks for the link.
I always find it humourous, and disgusting, that whenever TACO loses in court it's because "the system is rigged", "they are out to get him", "the courts are weaponized" and never because he's actually doing illegal things. And it amazes me that time and time and time again he loses these battles yet people are still willing to believe he's "doing all the right things". I mean I've always said if I had a friend who was arrested but it "wasn't his fault" people may believe him. But when he is arrested the second and third time when it "wasn't his fault" everyone around him will stop believing it's not his fault. So why keep the faith in this f-ing loser? It's mind boggling
It's the same thing with elections. If a MAGA person loses, it's because the election as rigged.
yep. And this all started with him. How many "rigged" elections did we have before 2020? and now they are all rigged? I mean I'm not a conspiracy theorist but there is part of me that believes 2024 was somehow rigged, I mean all the swing states really? But I digress.
I think that about 2024 at times also. I wonder how much of it though is just incredulity that anyone would vote for Trump. Or, as John Pavlovitz over at Bluesky said: "I can't believe 77 million Americans rebooked on the Titanic."
That is a good analogy. I mean I was over the fact that people were still going to vote for him. I guess I look at the rallies- the amount of people Harris/Waltz were attracting and the energy they were creating vs TACO's rallies and just wonder where all those votes went. And the speed at which all these swing states were called when it took soooo long in 2020. When you look at how close some of these states actually ended up when the ballots were all counted I HAVE to wonder how so many of them were called within hours of poll closing. It honestly was my first trigger- just seemed too fast.
And you can be sure that if the situation was the same but the Dems won, there would be lots of court cases. Are the Dems too nice? I understand that the want to respect the election process but still . . . I go back to Bush-Gore – they gave up too easily. THAT was a stolen election.
IDK if they are too nice, I just don't think there was evidence. I mean they were never going to go off half cocked like trump did with his accusations and conspiracy theories. IF there was fraud it came in the form of messing with the computers somehow... yes I know the computers are offline but they do get programmed somehow. WIthout literal first hand knowledge it would be impossible to prove and dragging out the election with court cases you have no evidence for is their move not ours. I mean the whole reason TACO was allowed to run and his ass wasn't in jail was because the J6 trial never was- without irrefutable, concrete proof the Dems would have been just as bad as the Repugs. Now had we had hard evidence I think we would have seen court cases. Even now it's all just conspiracy theories and the "it just seems way off" kinds of feelings.
That's the thing -- Trump and his fellow narcissists are incapable of believing they aren't perfect and popular, so any opposition has to be rigged and protestors are 'paid. Sad. And sick.
100%
Much as I would like to believe all this disarray wold lead to actual crack in the giant trump facade, I strongly suspect all the GOP senators will in the end fall into line and adopt this horrible bill
I fear that too.... and without taking out the provision that severely weakens our justice system. If that provision goes through, God help us all because that will serve frump his dictatorship on a gold platter
We must depend on the Senate Parliamentarian. If the GOP Senators intend to pass this mess by reconciliation, then it can only contain matters of changes to taxation and spending that aligns with the budget resolution--nothing else. Otherwise, it must go through the usual Senate procedure which makes it subject to possible filibuster and would have to have more than 60 votes to pass.
We must rely on the Senators that have turned a blind eye to everything illegal/unconstitutional that TACO has done since he took office? You think they care about doing it the "right" way anymore?
There is a statute called the Byrd rule, which requires that if a bill is to be passed using the reconciliation path, it cannot have anything other than changes to revenue or outlay. Yes, even the Senate Republicans have to follow those rules of what they pass is invalid and we can ignore it. Senators do not want to lose their power or their lucrative positions.
Well we'll see. I get this is a "requirement" but there have been a lot of "requirements" they seem to be willing to ignore. I mean if they know this, and expected to abide by this rule, why even put the other stuff in there if it will be meaningless in the end? And all the Dems can do is call them out on it but have no power to do anything else. I did hear it won't have enough votes to pass as is but I also know these Rs get very wishy washy when their feet are to the fire.
Keep the cracks opening! Unrelentingly!
Use this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to your own reps, as well as those in other states on a specific committee important to a topic you’re sharing. Use your voice and make some “good trouble.”
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk
Republicans started down the road today by following Newt Gingrich. Then, as party membership sagged, they embraced the Tea Party; it’s been a circus ever since. I’d like to see both parties come together to embrace getting rid of the Electoral College, get rid of tax loopholes for the rich, and remind themselves they are here to serve the 341,000,000 of us, not just the 900 billionaires who bribe them.
Why no mention that Musk has stolen so much private data. That was always the real prize.
Also, no attention to the fact that our National Security is in the hands of incompetent liars and that cybersecurity, especially against Russia, is greatly diminished. Those are the big dangers we all face.
The tariffs were always a market manipulation starting in the first Trump term with on and off tariffs.
Taco Don is almost too dumb to breathe. The billionaires put him in office to form an oligarchy. Now that he's angry with SCOTUS he's exposing Loe Lenard to public scrutiny. Lenard always does his work from the shadows. What if Taco Don gets angry at other dark money funders. I'm sure they won't appreciate the sudden exposure. Big Business is finally realizing that they actually need a stable economy to continue to make profits. I wonder how long it will take the MAGAS in Congress to realize they are on the wrong side of history too.