logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
11m 26s

Swamp Notes: How far can Doge go?

Financial Times
About this episode

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 getting involved.


Mentioned in this podcast:


Can anyone stop Elon Musk’s hostile takeover of the US government? 

Elon Musk barred from accessing US Treasury payments data

Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here


Swamp Notes is produced by Marc Filippino, Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson and Katya Kumkova. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson. 


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
Google closes in on Nvidia in the AI race
<p>Google’s parent company got close to a record $4tn market capitalisation, and more than $1tn has been wiped from the cryptocurrency market in the past six weeks. Plus, US consumers aren’t feeling too merry ahead of the holidays, and the UK prepares for its long-awaited Budget ... Show More
10m 50s
Yesterday
How Ireland became the weak spot in Europe’s defences
<p>Traders are piling into bets that Wednesday’s UK Budget will push the pound lower against the dollar, and the pharmaceutical industry saw some promising — and not so promising — clinical trial results. Plus, US tech stocks leapt on Monday and Ireland’s military neutrality has ... Show More
10m 26s
Nov 24
The scramble for a Ukraine peace deal
<p>US pressure on Ukraine and its allies to agree a peace deal with Russia ignites fresh concern in Europe, and the US has officially designated Venezuela’s “Cartel of the Suns” a terror group. Plus, Europe looks to increase investment rules to stand up to China, and a look at wh ... Show More
12m 27s
Recommended Episodes
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
Elon Musk a-t-il réussi sa mission à la tête du DOGE ?
<p>Aux Etats-Unis, trois mois seulement après sa création, le département de l’efficacité gouvernementale (Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE) accumule les critiques et les revers. A telle enseigne que son dirigeant semble s’en détacher. «&nbsp;Mon temps alloué au DOGE va ... Show More
24m 42s
Oct 8
Elon Musk and the end of a telecom tycoon’s dream
In recent weeks, satellite business EchoStar has clinched multibillion-dollar deals with SpaceX and AT&T. It may sound like boom times for founder Charlie Ergen, but these deals illustrate something different: the abandoning of an ambitious, decades-long quest to build his own mo ... Show More
23m 40s
Aug 25
How Asia is coping with Trump’s tariffs. With Mari Pangestu
President Donald Trump thinks that Asia's goods exports are automatically America's loss and as part of his ‘reciprocal’ tariff policy, he has imposed some of the highest import taxes on goods from south-east Asia. So what does this mean for the region? And are Trump's policies p ... Show More
28m 36s
Apr 2025
Is Elon Musk’s Role in the White House Over?
In today’s episode, we cover the news that Elon Musk is planning to step back from his government role, the latest from the Ukraine negotiations, a major attack in Kashmir, and the EU’s fining of Apple and Meta.Watch TLDR’s latest videos here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfrIc ... Show More
6m 36s
Apr 2022
When Will the Ukraine War End? (Plus: 10 Good Minutes on What the Hell Elon Musk Is Doing With Twitter)
On today's show, we start with Ten Good Minutes on the extremely funny and very chaotic saga of Elon Musk vs. Twitter. Last week, Musk bought enough Twitter shares to become the company's largest individual shareholder. Then, Twitter announced that Musk would become a board membe ... Show More
57m 30s
Sep 16
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: Tariffs, TikTok, & A Duel 9/16/25
<p>On the ground in London for the President’s state visit, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discusses tariffs, a potential trade deal with China, Federal Reserve independence, and reports of a spar between himself and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. Plus, <a ... Show More
45m 28s
Oct 6
Coming soon from Tech Tonic: Mission to Mars
US President Donald Trump has pledged to “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars”, China could send its first crewed mission to Mars within a decade, and Elon Musk wants people to actually settle on Mars, transforming the human race into an interplanetary species. In a ne ... Show More
1m 40s