logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
32m 30s

How Elon Musk Is Infiltrating Washington

The New York Times
About this episode
Elon Musk and his team have taken a hacksaw to the federal bureaucracy one agency at a time, and the question has become whether he’s on a crusade that will leave the government paralyzed or deliver a shake-up it has needed for years. Jonathan Swan, a White House reporter for The New York Times, takes us inside this hostile takeover of Washington. 
Up next
Yesterday
Classical Music Is in Crisis. Gustavo Dudamel Is Here to Save It.
Music Featured (in order of appearance, all conducted by Gustavo Dudamel):Johann Strauss, Tik-Tak Polka, Polka Schnell, Op. 365, Weiner Philharmoniker (Sony Music Entertainment)Dmitri Shostakovich, Festive Overture, Op. 96, Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon)Gusta ... Show More
42m 59s
Sep 4
The Intertwined Legacies of Gloria Steinem and Dolly Parton
Gloria Steinem, the feminist icon and co-founder of Ms. magazine, died on Wednesday at her home in Manhattan. Her death came as many were still grieving the loss of another iconic woman: Dolly Parton.On paper, the connections between the two women seem superficial, but for the Ti ... Show More
30m 56s
Sep 3
A.I. Is Outsmarting Its Creators
From the start, the greatest fear for those developing artificial intelligence was that their creations would go rogue to act in unauthorized and dangerous ways. Some researchers now say it has happened. Kevin Roose, a technology columnist for The New York Times, explains what th ... Show More
40m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
What Elon Musk Wants
<p>Elon Musk has been on a slash-and-burn tear through the federal government — gaining access to I.T. systems, dismantling U.S.A.I.D. and unleashing a firehose of attacks on his platform, X, accusing the bureaucracy of various conspiratorial crimes.</p><p>As this all unfolds bef ... Show More
1h 7m
Feb 2025
Elon Musk's 'hostile takeover' of Washington
When Donald Trump took office, he appointed Elon Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency - or DOGE - a new agency designed to radically slash federal costs. Since inauguration day Musk has done just that, laying off thousands of staff, freezing America's entire in ... Show More
34m 9s
Feb 2025
DOGE's Quest To Reshape Government Continues
The unit, led by Elon Musk, has run into legal obstacles as it continues its rapid efforts to change the way the federal government functions. We look at the latest developments.This episode: White House correspondents Asma Khalid and Franco Ordoñez, and State Department correspo ... Show More
12m 49s
Nov 2024
Has Elon Musk changed the media forever?
Elon Musk is the world's richest man, owner of the biggest media platform and the new President's latest bed fellow. Is X now an arm of the US government? And what’s happening to the podcast space in America? Why can’t centrists find the influence that the Right wields there? Lat ... Show More
35m 41s
Feb 2025
Is Elon a Drag on Trump?
Elon Musk holds a rambling Oval Office press conference and admits that he and DOGE will make mistakes as they rampage through our government, even as congressional Republicans move forward with a budget that promises massive cuts to healthcare, education, and food assistance to ... Show More
1h 26m
Feb 2025
The United States of Elon
President Trump put Elon Musk in charge of government efficiency and the result has been nonstop chaos and trauma for civil servants. Audie talks with WIRED reporter Vittoria Elliot about how he is doing it and who is helping him. Audie also talks with someone who’s gone through ... Show More
42m 4s
Feb 2025
Swamp Notes: How far can Doge go?
<p>Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge, dominated the headlines this week as agency members gained access to sensitive data at the Treasury department. FT Washington reporters Joe Miller and Alex Rogers help us make sense of Doge and why the courts are gettin ... Show More
11m 26s
Feb 2025
Elon Musk's DOGE Takes Control Of Federal Spending
Elon Musk is keeping his campaign promise of trying to cut $2 trillion of federal spending through his unit, DOGE. After some questions about his role, the White House announced that he is now a "special government employee." What has Musk been able to accomplish thus far? This e ... Show More
15m 3s