Viking_Hippie

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28539608

Speculation of Tesla CEO’s possible departure comes as his influence in the administration appears to wane

Elon Musk is reportedly set to leave his government role because he’s tired of the what he sees as a litany of vicious and unethical attacks from the left, according to a report from The Washington Post.

It remains unclear when Musk will depart as head of DOGE; his special government employee status will expire at the end of next month. A person familiar with his thinking told The Post that Musk thinks that his work at DOGE won’t be diminished because of his departure, noting that staffers have already established themselves across a slew of federal agencies.

But speculation of Musk’s possible departure comes as his influence in the administration appears to wane. The New York Times reported last week that the acting commissioner of the IRS was being replaced after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent complained that Musk had his preferred candidate installed without Bessent’s support. Musk has also annoyed other cabinet members by failing to coordinate with them in cost-cutting moves.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28461506

Summary

Pope Francis skipped the Vatican’s official meeting with J.D. Vance Saturday, instead having his No. 2 give the vice president a lecture on compassion, according to a Vatican statement.

The statement said there was “an exchange of opinions on the international situation… with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners.”

Pope Francis has repeatedly rebuked the president’s mass deportation effort, calling it a “disgrace” and a “grave sin.”

The Pope corrected a Catholic concept Vance had invoked to defend the administration’s deportations, ordo amoris (order of love). In a February letter, Francis pointedly explained, “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28377055

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28175220

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/36161826

The Trump administration is reportedly considering giving about $10,000 to each Greenland resident as part of its plan to annex the territory

Archived version: https://archive.is/20250411133253/https://www.latintimes.com/trump-admin-considering-giving-10000-each-person-greenland-annex-island-580455

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27602242

Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, recently got the all-clear for a massive increase in investment after parliament voted to exempt defence spending from strict rules on debt.

The country's top general has told the BBC the cash boost is urgently needed because he believes Russian aggression won't stop at Ukraine.

"We are threatened by Russia. We are threatened by Putin. We have to do whatever is needed to deter that," Gen Carsten Breuer says. He warns that Nato should be braced for a possible attack in as little as four years.

"It's not about how much time I need, it's much more about how much time Putin gives us to be prepared," the defence chief says bluntly. "And the sooner we are prepared the better."

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/34840943

The FBI’s New York field office normally handles counterintelligence, counterterrorism, public corruption, international drug trafficking, and financial crime investigations. Right now, though, it has been ordered to prioritize redacting sensitive information in the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Vanity Fair reports, citing multiple sources, that nearly a thousand agents, who normally work on national security issues in the bureau’s largest field office, are working night and day combing the documents instead of on their regular jobs.

“It’s literally all hands on deck,” one unnamed source told the magazine. “I even saw an agent walking in with a pillow.” One former agent called the situation “ludicrous.”

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/19534351

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/26592059

Summary

Donald Trump is upset after King Charles warmly welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Sandringham, making Trump’s own state visit invitation seem “less special.”

Trump’s allies allegedly asked the British government to intervene, but officials stated the king makes his own decisions.

Relations may also be strained by Trump’s criticism of Canada, where Charles remains head of state.

The U.K. government denied tensions, reaffirming strong U.S.-U.K. ties.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/26507276

Summary

The Trump administration is facing backlash after reports that the Defense Department flagged over 26,000 images for deletion due to alleged connections to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Among them are photos of trailblazing pilots, including the Tuskegee Airmen and Col. Jeannie Leavitt.

Most controversially, an image of the WWII aircraft Enola Gay was flagged, seemingly because its name includes the word "gay."

The revelation has sparked mockery online, with critics calling this "the STUPIDEST administration in American history."

cross-posted from: https://pawb.social/post/21024462

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/39925777