logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
1h 7m

What Elon Musk Wants

NEW YORK TIMES OPINION
About this episode
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. As this all unfolds before our eyes, it’s hard to believe that Musk, not that long ago, was a conventional Obam ... Show More
Up next
Today
Why Are Palantir and OpenAI Scared of Alex Bores?
Leading the Future, a super PAC whose funders include the founders of companies like Palantir and OpenAI, is spending millions of dollars this election cycle, and a considerable amount of that money is going toward attack ads against Alex Bores – even though Bores himself used to ... Show More
1h 32m
Apr 17
Our Tax System Should Make You Furious
Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg and Warren Buffett are three of the richest people in the world, but they pay little in income tax relative to their wealth. In 2021, ProPublica published an investigation built on leaked tax documents that reveal what some of the richest Americans r ... Show More
1h 5m
Apr 14
Reckoning With Israel’s ‘One-State Reality’
For decades, most discussions of Israel and Palestine were framed around the eventual creation of a two-state solution. That effort has been dead for years. What has emerged in its place is what the political scientists Marc Lynch and Shibley Telhami call the “one-state reality.” ... Show More
1h 27m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
Is Elon Musk leaving the White House?
There was a bright spot for Democrats this week after a liberal judge beat her conservative rival in the most expensive judicial election in US history. Susan Crawford beat Brad Schimel despite being backed by President Donald Trump's billionaire adviser Elon Musk. The results ca ... Show More
32m 56s
Nov 2024
Elon Musk Launches Into American Politics
<p>After single-handedly remaking the auto industry, social media and the global space race, Elon Musk is now turning his attention, and personal fortune, to politics.</p><p>Over the past few months, he became one of the most influential figures in the race for president, and on ... Show More
28m 43s
Sep 2024
Elon Musk: Too Big to Scam | 124
<p>When Elon Musk bid to buy Twitter for $44 billion, he made headlines for the mess that followed — including flip flopping on the deal and immediately firing most of the site’s employees. In this special episode of <em>Scamfluencers</em>, Scaachi Koul talks with New York Times ... Show More
40m 31s
Sep 2025
F.C.C. Head Says Kimmel Not ‘the Last Shoe to Drop,’ and Musk Goes All In on A.I.
tail spinning
14m 40s
Feb 2025
How Elon Musk Is Infiltrating Washington
<p>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.</p><p>Jonathan Swan, a White House reporte ... Show More
32m 30s
Jan 2025
Justin Trudeau Resigns plus Elon Musk Supports Tommy Robinson
A few stories have dominated the western world over its festive period; the grooming gangs scandal in the UK and the use of H-1B visas in the US being just two of them. But a central connection running through these stories have been Elon Musk. Musk has been condemned for praisin ... Show More
47m 38s
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
Apr 2025
100 Days of Trump (Part 4)… Has Elon Musk Changed Government Forever?
This is a special Americast mini series, looking at five ways Donald Trump has changed America in his first 100 days back, as President of the United States. In our fourth episode, Matt Chorley joins Justin and Marianna to discuss large scale cuts to federal government by Elon Mu ... Show More
13m 5s
Feb 2025
Why is Trump sharing an AI video of Gaza?
Donald Trump sparked a social media frenzy on Wednesday when he posted a video of Gaza generated by artificial intelligence on his site Truth Social. Marianna's been analysing Trump's social media strategy and how he attempts to influence what we see on our online feeds.Meanwhile ... Show More
28m 32s
Apr 2025
Americanswers…on 5 Live! Is Elon Musk being forced out of the White House?
Elon Musk says he’s stepping back from his role at DOGE and refocusing on Tesla after the electric car firm reported a huge drop in profit and sales for the start of this year. We look at whether he could be on his way out completely.Donald Trump meanwhile says he’ll be attending ... Show More
30m 20s