logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
34m 9s

Elon Musk's 'hostile takeover' of Washin...

THE TIMES
About this episode

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 international aid programme and gaining access to the $6 trillion Treasury payments system. So what will the fallout be? And with an unelected official wielding such unprecedented power - and the courts fighting back - are we seeing the beginnings of a major constitutional crisis?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory


Guest: Hugh Tomlinson, Washington Reporter, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Further reading: Donald Trump lashes out as ‘political’ judges block his orders.

Further listening: Trump’s Gaza bombshell

Clips: Bloomberg, ABC News, Sky, The Guardian, Fox. 

Photo: Getty Images.

Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com



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

Up next
Today
The prison chief linked to organised crime - the Sunday Story
Bobby Cunningham was 31 when he became Head of Security at Wandsworth Prison, Britain’s most notorious jail, where he was tasked with fighting corruption. The Sunday Times's Whitehall editor Gabriel Pogrund reveals his dealings with organised crime.This podcast was brought to you ... Show More
38m 35s
Yesterday
Inside the Church of England's 'sex cult' - the Saturday Story
Chris Brain, the leader of a Church of England ‘sex cult’ known s the Nine O'Clock Service, has been found guilty of 17 charges of indecent assault, three decades after its collapse. Why did the Church fail to learn lessons from the scandal?This podcast was brought to you thanks ... Show More
33m 39s
Aug 22
The Brit standing up to China - can Starmer save Jimmy Lai
Pro-democracy campaigner, media mogul and British citizen Jimmy Lai has been imprisoned in China for five years and on trial for two. As the closing statements are made, what will happen to one of China’s most prominent critics? And can the UK government - or Donald Trump - step ... Show More
29m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Elon Musk Is Reshaping The Government, But Is It Legal?
First: Trump takeover. The president takes a sledgehammer to the government. Now, judges are saying not so fast. The news overnight, and what's next. My panel weighs in. Plus, my new reporting and how Democrats are responding. And: The Elon effect. I'll talk to a close ally of mu ... Show More
43m 10s
Feb 2025
Elon Musk Runs DOGE With His CEO Playbook
It’s been roughly four weeks since Elon Musk took the helm of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which was tasked with slashing government spending. And a lot has happened since. WSJ columnist Tim Higgins joins host Julie Chang to discuss the late ... Show More
13m 59s
Apr 2025
Is Elon Musk Buying Today’s Election in Wisconsin?
On paper, the election in Wisconsin on Tuesday is about who should control the state’s highest court. In reality, it has become a referendum on Elon Musk, his agenda in Washington and his willingness to flood American politics with his money.Reid J. Epstein, who has been covering ... Show More
27m 53s
Feb 2025
Inside USAID as Elon Musk and DOGE Ripped It Apart
President Donald Trump wants the world's richest man, Elon Musk, to shrink the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency. And one of DOGE's first targets? USAID, the agency that focuses on foreign assistance. We talk to a USAID worker who is out of work t ... Show More
25m 59s
Nov 2024
Elon Musk Launches Into American Politics
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.Over the past few months, he became one of the most influential figures in the race for president, and on Tuesday Do ... Show More
28m 43s
Feb 2025
Musk’s Plans to Take a Chain Saw to Bureaucracy
The head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE ,says he is bringing a tech upgrade to the federal government. WSJ columnist Tim Higgins joins us for an update on Elon Musk’s first 100 days in the Trump White House. Plus, Google changed its rules around how product-r ... Show More
12m 40s
Dec 2024
Trump and Elon: Children in Charge
We are entering a new chapter where the children are taking the wheel. In this episode Rick speaks with journalist and author David Corn to discuss the chaotic implications of a Trump administration return, the rise of figures like Elon Musk and RFK Jr., and the dangerous erosion ... Show More
29m 36s
Feb 2025
How Elon Musk Is Infiltrating Washington
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 ... Show More
32m 30s
Apr 2025
Elon Musk and Donald Trump Are Finally (Maybe) Breaking Up
When protesters converged this past weekend across America, they seized on two central villains: Donald Trump and Elon Musk. On this episode, host and Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Radhika Jones, along with executive editor Claire Howorth and Hive editor Michael Calderone, discuss ... Show More
37m 4s
Feb 2025
Meet Elon Musk’s Right-Hand Man Cutting Costs at DOGE
P.M. Edition for Feb. 10. After Elon Musk took over Twitter, one of his deputies, Steve Davis, adopted a move-fast-and-break-things approach to make the company more efficient. WSJ White House economics reporter Brian Schwartz tells us how Davis, now working at Musk’s Department ... Show More
13 m