Donald Trump’s White House has revealed in a court filing that billionaire Elon Musk is not an employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and has no decision-making authority,
Musk’s role in the administration is limited to that of an employee and senior adviser to the president, according to the filing.
That clarification comes as Michelle King, the Social Security Administration's (SSA) acting commissioner, stepped down from her role at the agency over DOGE's requests to access Social Security recipient’s private personal information and top American and Russian officials are set to hold talks in Saudi Arabia about ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump loyalist Peter Navarro, senior counselor to the president for trade and manufacturing, is meanwhile becoming an increasingly influential figure within the administration and guiding much of Trump’s policies on trade, which are threatening rifts with America’s allies, according to a new report.
Navarro, a China hawk who served in the first Trump administration and was jailed for ignoring a January 6 subpoena last year, “has been catapulted into the trade hot seat, orchestrating an early suite of tariffs and probes that bear the hallmarks of his particular enthusiasms,” writes The Financial Times.
Key Points
- Elon Musk has 'no formal authority to make government decisions', says White House
- Acting Social Security commissioner quits after clash with Musk
- U.S. and Russian teams meeting in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine war peace talks
- Trump loyalist Peter Navarro steering trade war
- President announces ‘precision airstrike’ against al-Qaeda leader in Syria
Republican lawmakers ‘grumbling’ about Musk’s ‘poorly executed’ mass cuts
12:25
,
Joe Sommerlad
It’s not just pro-democracy campaigners who are unhappy.
‘No kings on Presidents’ Day’: Protesters rage against Trump and Musk
12:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
Protesters in cities across America slammed Donald Trump and Elon Musk yesterday as the Presidents’ Day holiday arrived in the wake of the DOGE dismantling of federal agencies.
Activists, largely organized by the 50501 Movement and various branches of Indivisible, were honoring “Not my Presidents Day.”
Demonstrators chanted “no kings on Presidents’ Day” to protest the power grab by Trump and his billionaire hatchet man.
Protesters gathered at various city halls, state capitols and outside Tesla showrooms packed with Musk-made cars.
A sign in an office window above a Tesla dealership in San Francisco informed protesters about Musk: “We hate him too.”
Here’s more.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy tries to shift blame for recent air disasters onto Pete Buttigieg
11:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
Trump’s new man in the hot seat has tried to shift the blame for the string of recent air disasters onto his Democratic predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, in the wake of cutting hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel.
Duffy, confirmed to lead the department in the Senate late last month, revealed on Monday that the Trump administration fired “less than 400” of the FAA’s 45,000 employees.
He also claimed all of them were serving probationary periods.
The layoffs took place against a backdrop of three fatal U.S. air disasters since Trump’s inauguration last month, in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Alaska – with another commercial plane carrying 80 people flipping over upon a crash landing at Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday.
Here’s more from James Liddell.
Readers criticise Trump's ‘simplistic’ plan for peace in Ukraine
11:25
,
Joe Sommerlad
We've been asking for your opinions on Trump's efforts to negotiate peace in Ukraine directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Many readers shared concerns that Trump’s plan is too simplistic, with several warning that leaving Kyiv out of the talks and pushing NATO aside could weaken Ukraine and encourage Putin to take more land.
They argued that Trump’s approach focuses on quick deals instead of long-term peace and could hurt international support for Ukraine.
Some also criticised Trump for putting his own goals above global security.
They stressed that any peace deal should protect Ukraine’s independence and Europe’s safety.
Read the full debate and get involved in the conversation below.
Trump loyalist Peter Navarro steering trade war
11:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump loyalist Peter Navarro, senior counselor to the president for trade and manufacturing, is becoming an increasingly influential figure within the administration and guiding much of Trump’s policies on trade, which are threatening rifts with America’s allies, according to a new report.
Navarro, a China hawk who served in the first Trump administration and was jailed for ignoring a January 6 subpoena last year, “has been catapulted into the trade hot seat, orchestrating an early suite of tariffs and probes that bear the hallmarks of his particular enthusiasms,” writes The Financial Times.
“There is a clear premium put on loyalty in this administration,” a Washington lobbyist told the FT.
“And there’s no doubting, whatsoever, Navarro’s loyalty to Trump – that’s why he’ll always have a lot of influence.”
The newspaper adds:
“Whereas in the last administration Navarro was often hamstrung by more free-market minded Trump advisers such as Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin or National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, he faces far less opposition in Trump 2.0.
“People familiar with the administration’s inner workings say Navarro is working closely with Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, and Jamieson Greer, the president’s pick for trade representative.”
Starmer to meet Trump in Washington next week
10:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
A Downing Street spokesman has said Sir Keir will seek to “deepen the special relationship” on his first visit to Washington, D.C. since the new president’s inauguration a month ago.
Claudia Savage has more on Starmer’s upcoming visit.
Trump must provide ‘backstop’ to deter Russia, Sir Keir Starmer says
10:25
,
Joe Sommerlad
The British prime minister has thrown down the gauntlet to Donald Trump, calling for the U.S. to provide a “backstop” to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again after meeting with European leaders for emergency talks on the war.
Starmer said allies on the continent would have to step up in terms of both spending and capability as he spoke following talks with partners in Paris on Monday.
While he said he would be prepared to put a peacekeeping force into Ukraine if there is a deal to end the war with Russia, Sir Keir said such a move would require there to be an American security guarantee to ensure Russia does not attack again.
“Europe must play its role, and I’m prepared to consider committing British forces on the ground alongside others if there is a lasting peace agreement”, the PM told reporters after last night’s meeting.
“But there must be a U.S. backstop, because a U.S. security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.”
Millie Cooke reports.
Trump ‘wants 50% cut’ of Ukraine’s mineral riches in return for peace
10:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
The president wants half the revenue from Ukraine’s minerals and veto rights over licensing in return for providing security guarantees in the event of a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, according to leaked documents.
Trump previously said he wants Ukraine to pay for financial and military support by affording Washington access to the country’s vast but untapped rare earth minerals.
However, new documents show a deal between the two countries could expand U.S. access to Ukraine’s ports, infrastructure, oil and gas.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready to do a deal with Trump that includes American involvement in developing Ukraine's huge deposits of rare earths and other critical minerals.
James Liddell has more.
U.S. and Russian teams meeting in Saudi Arabia for Ukraine war peace talks
09:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
Officials from the Trump administration and from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s delegation are meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, today for talks on ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The war-hit European nation has said that no peace deal can be made on its behalf at the talks, to which it was not invited.
The two sides are nevertheless expected to discuss ways to end the conflict as its third anniversary approaches.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will travel to Saudi Arabia tomorrow but that his trip is unrelated to the U.S.-Russia talks.
Acting Social Security commissioner quits after clash with Musk
09:25
,
Joe Sommerlad
Michelle King, the Social Security Administration's (SSA) acting commissioner, stepped down from her role at the agency over DOGE's requests to access Social Security recipient’s private personal information.
Acting Commissioner King’s departure from the agency over the weekend – after more than 30 years of service – was initiated after King refused to provide DOGE staffers at the SSA with access to sensitive data, according to the Associated Press.
Here’s White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempting to spin it:
Leavitt: President Trump has directed Elon Musk and the DOGE team to identify fraud at the social security administration. They've not dug into the books but they suspect there are tens of millions of deceased people who are receiving fraudulent social security payments pic.twitter.com/QayMjDpNYw
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 18, 2025
Leavitt: To all of the people watching your show tonight, if you paid into the system honestly, you will continue to receive your social security checks pic.twitter.com/TQGZW1wd2W
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 18, 2025
Michelle Del Rey has more.
Elon Musk not in charge of DOGE and has no decision-making authority, says White House
09:05
,
Joe Sommerlad
Billionaire Elon Musk is not an employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and has no decision-making authority, the White House said in a court filing.
Musk’s role in the Donald Trump administration is limited to that of a White House employee and senior adviser to the president, according to the filing signed by director of the Office of Administration at the White House.
It further states that “like other senior White House advisors, Mr Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself.”
Maroosha Muzaffar reports.
Trump announces ‘precision airstrike’ against al-Qaeda leader in Syria
08:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
Let’s start off with the latest Truth Social postings from the president.
In amongst a deluge of favorable press clippings from conservative news sources, Trump posted this surprise news of an anti-terror operation in the Middle East.
US forces conducted a precision airstrike against a member of al-Qaeda in Syria this weekend. The terrorist leader was working with al-Qaeda across the region. Congratulations to CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla, and the US warfighters who dealt Justice to another Jihadi…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) February 18, 2025
He also posted this thank you video from a woman held hostage by Hamas, describing her ordeal and expressing gratitude for her releases.
Donald Trump Truth Social Post 07:45 PM EST 02/17/25 pic.twitter.com/ngMTnpnxX7
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) February 18, 2025
Julianne Moore in ‘great shock’ after her book is ‘banned by Trump administration’
08:00
,
Shahana Yasmin
Julianne Moore has reacted with “great shock” after finding out that her children’s book Freckleface Strawberry has reportedly been banned in schools by the Trump administration.
The Freckleface Strawberry book series follows a young girl with red hair and freckles, who is teased by her fellow students for it and feels different from everyone else. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham, the first book was published in 2007 and led to five more sequels, and also inspired a 2010 stage musical.
Read more:
Jim Acosta urges media to boycott Trump after administration targets Associated Press
07:00
,
Ariana Baio
Former CNN broadcaster Jim Acosta is urging the media to stand up to President Donald Trump and his administration for barring an Associated Press journalist from White House briefings – even if that means refusing to cover the president.
Last week, Trump officials raised alarm bells with First Amendment advocates and media organizations when it prevented an AP reporter from joining briefings as punishment for the legacy news outlet refusing to permanently refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its newly appointed name, the Gulf of America.
Read more:
Europe split over Starmer pledge to send troops to Ukraine
04:00
,
Millie Cooke
A split has emerged among European nations over whether to match Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to send UK troops to Ukraine, as allies thrash out a response to US president Donald Trump’s push for a deal with Vladimir Putin.
Divisions became clear as leaders attended an emergency summit in Paris amid fears Washington will cut its transatlantic defence commitments.
The emergency summit was called after Mr Trump announced his plan to sideline Europe by holding Ukraine peace talks directly with Mr Putin.
Sir Keir said he would be willing to contribute to security guarantees by “putting our own troops on the ground if necessary”, echoing similar statements by France’s Emmanuel Macron.
Read more:
White House says Elon Musk has 'no formal authority to make government decisions'
03:55
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Billionaire Elon Musk's role in the Donald Trump administration is as a White House employee and senior adviser to the president, and is not an employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and has no decision-making authority, the White House said in a court filing.
According to a filing signed by Joshua Fisher, director of the Office of Administration at the White House, Mr Musk can only advise the president and communicate the president's directives.
"Like other senior White House advisors, Mr Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself," it said.
Mr Fisher's filing, made in a case brought against Musk by the State of New Mexico, said that Mr Musk was not an employee of the US DOGE Service, or the US DOGE Service Temporary Organisation. It added: "Mr Musk is not the US DOGE Service Administrator."
GOP lawmakers are ‘grumbling’ about Musk’s ‘poorly executed’ mass government cuts
03:15
,
Gustaf.Kilander
Some Republican lawmakers are concerned about how Elon Musk is gutting the federal government, with senators worrying about the optics of having the world’s wealthiest man slash jobs that employ people in their home states.
Attacks on Musk from Democrats are also increasing as he takes an axe to agency after agency, creating chaos and uncertainty. One Republican senator said that Musk’s attempt to get federal workers to resign in exchange for seven months of severance was “poorly executed,” according to The Hill.
“I think they’re just looking to reduce numbers — it’s not efficiency, it’s not output. It’s, ‘We just need bodies gone.’ And I don’t know that’s the metric that you use,” the senator added.
Read more:
RFK Jr shares bizarre pic with lizard, Russell Brand — and shirtless Dr. Oz
02:30
,
Katie Hawkinson
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared a bizarre photo featuring a lizard, comedian Russell Brand and a shirtless Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Kennedy, sworn into his cabinet position last week, shared the photo Sunday afternoon on X with the caption: “Northern Curly Tailed Lizard with Russel Brand & Dr Oz.” The photo shows Brand with his arm around the other two as Kennedy and Oz smile at the camera.
The trio have long been intertwined. Brand endorsed Kennedy’s independent presidential campaign last year. Meanwhile, Trump nominated Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a position in which he’d work closely with Kennedy.
Read more:
White House scrambles to combat bird flu outbreaks and blasts Biden plan to ‘just kill chickens’
01:45
,
Gustaf Kilander
The White House is racing to combat bird flu outbreaks to contain skyrocketing egg prices as President Donald Trump blames it all on former President Joe Biden.
When asked about egg prices on Sunday, Trump blamed the flu and his predecessor.
"Well, there's a flu ... I've been here for three weeks. I have had nothing to do with inflation. This was caused by Biden. I had four years of virtually no inflation,” said Trump.
Read more:
SNL50: Republicans up in arms over return of Tom Hanks’ racist Trump supporter
01:00
,
Brittany Miller
Tom Hanks riled Donald Trump supporters on Sunday with the return of his MAGA-touting hillbilly character on Saturday Night Live.
The veteran actor was one of dozens of SNL alums who appeared on the sketch show’s 50th-anniversary special.
In one skit, Hanks appears as a man named Doug on a parody game show called Black Jeopardy hosted by Kenan Thompson. The sketch originally aired in a 2016 episode.
For the part, Hanks wore a red “Make America Great Again” hat in addition to a flannel shirt and T-shirt with a bald eagle on it. Despite not being part of the game show’s demographic, the Southern man is hilariously still capable of correctly answering the questions.
Read more:
WATCH: Canadian Conservative blasts Trump's comments on '51st state'
00:15
,
Gustaf Kilander
Independent readers criticise Donald Trump’s ‘short-term’ and ‘simplistic’ plan for peace in Ukraine
Monday 17 February 2025 23:30
,
The Independent
Last week, Donald Trump announced plans to negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
Now, President Zelensky of Ukraine has been invited to join peace talks with Russian negotiators in Saudi Arabia, according to a US congressman. Senior officials from Trump’s administration will travel there this week to begin discussions.
Some see Trump’s efforts as a quick way to end the conflict, but many Independent readers were not convinced when we asked for their views.
Read more:
Prime Minister to meet Donald Trump in Washington next week
Monday 17 February 2025 22:45
,
Claudia Savage
Sir Keir Starmer will meet US President Donald Trump next week, No 10 has confirmed.
A Downing Street spokesman said the Prime Minister will seek to “deepen the special relationship” on his first visit to Washington, DC since Mr Trump’s inauguration.
Asked last week about meeting Sir Keir, Mr Trump said the two were “going to have a friendly meeting, very good”.
The Government has had mixed results in their efforts to garner favour with the new US administration.
Read more:
PM says Europe must ‘step up capability’ as he attends Ukraine talks in Paris
Monday 17 February 2025 22:00
,
PA
Sir Keir Starmer has warned of a “generational challenge” requiring the UK and Europe to “step up capability” as he arrived in Paris for emergency talks on the Ukraine war with other leaders.
The Prime Minister said any settlement would need to be a “lasting peace deal, not just a pause for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to come again” as he gathered with allies in the French capital.
Sir Keir has said he would be prepared to put a peacekeeping force into Ukraine if there is a deal to end the war with Russia.
Read more:
Trump speaks to Macron
Monday 17 February 2025 21:47
,
Gustaf Kilander
Trump spoke on the phone to French President Emmanuel Macron for roughly 30 minutes on Monday, discussing the war in Ukraine, the next meeting of European nations on Tuesday, as well as the meeting between U.S. and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia tomorrow, according to a White House official.
Letters to the editor: Give Trump some credit – he has turned the tables on Putin
Monday 17 February 2025 21:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
“It is something of an understatement to say that the foreign policy of Donald Trump in his second term differs greatly from his strategy in the first (“Trump says Zelensky will be involved in Russia – Ukraine peace talks after three-hour call with Putin”, Monday 17 February).
“Trump’s fawning and sycophantic behaviour towards Vladimir Putin is a thing of the past; the student has eclipsed his master,” Eric Radack writes.
WATCH: New York Congresswoman introduces bill to make Trump’s birthday a federal holiday
Monday 17 February 2025 21:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Julianne Moore in ‘great shock’ after her book is ‘banned by Trump administration’
Monday 17 February 2025 20:30
,
Shahana Yasmin
Julianne Moore has reacted with “great shock” after finding out that her children’s book Freckleface Strawberry has reportedly been banned in schools by the Trump administration.
The Freckleface Strawberry book series follows a young girl with red hair and freckles, who is teased by her fellow students for it and feels different from everyone else. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham, the first book was published in 2007 and led to five more sequels, and also inspired a 2010 stage musical.
Read more:
Dave Chappelle tells Bay Area audience that SNL censored him during recent host stint
Monday 17 February 2025 20:00
,
James Liddell
Dave Chapelle said he was barred from speaking about Gaza or the transgender community during his recent Saturday Night Live appearance.
Chapelle, 51, performed a stand-up show at the Masonic in San Francisco on Thursday. Just days before returning to Studio 8H stage for SNL’s star-studded 50th-anniversary special, the comedian said he was censored by the show’s producers last month.
SFGATES’s senior culture editor, Dan Gentile, who was in the audience, said that it marked the gig’s “big interesting revelation.”
Read more:
Tesla is suing drivers who complain about their cars after accidents – and winning
Monday 17 February 2025 19:30
,
Elsie Chen, Erika Kinetz, Dake Kang
Zhang Yazhou was sitting in the passenger seat of her Tesla Model 3 when she said she heard her father’s panicked voice: The brakes don’t work! Approaching a red light, her father swerved around two cars before plowing into an SUV and a sedan and crashing into a large concrete barrier.
Stunned, Zhang gazed at the deflating airbag in front of her. She could never have imagined what was to come: Tesla sued her for defamation for complaining publicly about the car’s brakes — and won.
Read more:
