Like attempting a triathlon without a bicycle.”
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Elon Musk is trying to win Donald Trump back after their messy breakup last week. Even if their bromance rekindles, Elon probably still will have a lot of explaining to do.
- You know how it is when two people end a toxic relationship: It’s only a matter of time before one of them comes crawling back. “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,” Musk tweeted at 3 a.m. this morning. Of course, Musk didn’t specify which posts were keeping him up so late at night…
- But The xxxxxx’s Tim Miller asked the question on everyone’s mind: “What about the one calling him a pedo?” He was referring, of course, to Musk’s post about the president being closely tied to financier Jeffrey Epstein, the child sex predator whose suicide is a hot conspiracy among the far-right. Trump is “in the Epstein files,” Musk tweeted last week. “That is the real reason they have not been made public.” (For the record, the gazillionaire didn’t accuse Trump of any crimes.)
- You can’t put toothpaste back in the tube, pal! He can delete the tweet, but nothing on the internet is ever really gone… especially when it was viewed by tens of millions of people.
- Musk’s claim had an immediate impact. FBI Director Kash Patel was forced to address the Epstein files in real-time while on Joe Rogan’s podcast, and the same thing happened to Vice President JD Vance on Theo Von’s podcast. While Trump’s relationship with Epstein is well-documented — the two men partied together at Mar-a-Lago — the president’s closest aides aren’t usually cornered into addressing the topic in front of millions of listeners.
Democrats see Musk’s blunder as a golden opportunity.
- Because of Musk’s “first buddy” status, his credibility is super high, said Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), who accused Attorney General Pam Bondi last month of protecting Trump by not releasing the files. Other Democrats have also asked the DOJ whether Musk’s accusation is true, and even Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) accused Bondi of “stonewalling” demands for more files.
- “Elon Musk has been right by Donald Trump's side,” Goldman told What A Day. “He was in a position to have had conversations with Donald Trump about the Epstein files, or at least to overhear conversations that Donald Trump had about the Epstein files.” To be clear, there’s no record of the president privately talking about the files, with Musk or others.
- The White House dodged What A Day’s question about Trump’s connection to the Epstein files: The Trump administration will “continue the important mission of cutting waste, fraud, and abuse from our federal government,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “The passage of the one big beautiful bill is critical to helping accomplish that mission.” Did I ask??? Nope!
- Democrats desperately want Musk to testify on Capitol Hill about several topics, from his alleged drug use on the campaign trail to his activities in the short-lived DOGE days. But Republicans always block their subpoena attempts. If Democrats win the House in 2026, however, there’s a much better chance to force him to fess up. “We would love to have him come testify before Congress or meet with members and tell us about the Epstein files,” Goldman added.
How is Trump handling the breakup? He said he has “ no hard feelings,” and the two reportedly spoke on the phone last night. Will Donald take Elon back even after the Epstein files accusation? TBD… |
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An often overlooked indicator of environmental health? Birds. Think of them as very real canaries in the coal mine. Crooked’s Climate Correspondent Anya Zoledziowski warns us about declining bird populations — and why it’s not all doom and gloom.
A recent study published in Nature found that bird populations in North America are rapidly vanishing, with 75 percent of species in decline. That’s largely due to environmental degradation, pollution and climate change. Birds like red-winged blackbirds, snowy owls, little herons, and dark-eyed juncos are all struggling. Worse yet, the losses were the worst in habitats where they’ve traditionally been abundant.
This is known as a “pattern of mass decline,” Richard Gregory, a University College London professor, told the Washington Post. This matters for all of us: when bird populations suffer, it usually means humans aren’t safe either. After all, we share environments, and bird species decline reveals a lot about pollution, contamination and worsening air quality. So, it’s worth paying attention to all of this as the Trump administration attempts to gut environmental and biodiversity protections, and climate action.
There’s a glimmer of hope, though: We already have solutions! Science-based conservation efforts, including coastal restoration and forest renewal, can do a lot to recover bird populations. Those, in turn, improve environments for the rest of us by giving us cleaner water, landscapes resilient to fire and flood, and more. Now we just need the political will…
This story is supported by our nonprofit partner, Crooked Ideas. |
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Donald Trump touted a trade deal with China, which includes keeping 55 percent tariffs on Chinese goods. Beijing would also send Washington rare earths and magnets, and Chinese students would be allowed to attend American universities. Chinese leader Xi Jinping still needs to give final approval, Trump said.
The Trump administration may start sending thousands of migrants who are in the United States illegally to Guantanamo Bay as soon as this week, Politico reports. That includes people who are from countries allied with America, including Britain, Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, to name a few. Who needs friends anyway?! Make America Ghastly Alone!
Trump is having a tough time in the Friend Department: Most GOP lawmakers are skipping his birthday parade in Washington, D.C. this weekend (the official excuse is that the parade is for the Army’s 250th anniversary), according to a Politico survey. “We were always different than the images you saw of the Soviet Union and North Korea,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said, bashing the parade . Don’t worry, Donald, there will be tons of people there… but not for the reasons you want.
Bulldozers began tearing up the White House Rose Garden this week, as part of Trump’s vision to install new flagpoles and build a Mar-a-Lago-style patio. Apparently, Trump is concerned about women wearing high heels on the garden’s grass. So… this is a DEI initiative? The irony!
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THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM
Jacinda Ardern — former prime minister of New Zealand, pandemic-handling powerhouse, and all-around badass — is on this week’s Pod Save the World. She joins Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes to talk about her new book, "A Different Kind of Power," how she led through Covid while other world leaders flailed, and why taking on big tech is part of the job now.
Plus: The guys break down Trump’s cruel and incoherent travel bans, his North Korea-style military (and birthday) extravaganza, and the latest foreign policy chaos — from Gaza to Guantánamo to Tulsi’s nuclear fantasy.
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There’s another sign that the U.S. economy isn’t a total dumpster fire right now, despite Donald Trump’s tariff wars: Inflation rose slightly less than experts anticipated, and the U.S. added more jobs last month than expected, according to the Labor Department. I don’t love that “not a total dumpster fire” is good news, but here we are! I’ll take what I can get.
Pope Leo pulled up to the Vatican wearing a Chicago White Sox hat today, once again confirming his die-hard allegiance to the team. At 20 games back, the Southsiders could use some divine intervention about now!
Researchers discovered a new type of dinosaur, Khankhuuluu mongoliens, dubbed the “prince of dragons,” which is arguably the coolest name of all dinosaurs ever. It’s an ancestor of the T. rex that lived 86 million years ago and is described as “a large, predatory horse.” I can’t wait to tell my 5-year-old nephew this thrilling news.
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