Trump says Musk ‘worked tirelessly’ in press conference to mark his exit from Doge – live
Key events
Musk has delivered a “colossal change” in how Washington does things, Trump says.
Musk has “worked tirelessly”, says Trump, to help lead “the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations”.
If you’d like to follow along this press conference, there is a feed at the top of the blog.
And here comes Trump and Musk from the Oval Office, with Musk sporting his “Dogefather” t-shirt and black “DOGE” hat.
State department ramps up Trump anti-immigration agenda with new ‘remigration’ office
Andrew Roth
The state department is seeking to create an “Office of Remigration” as part of a restructuring of the US diplomatic service to facilitate Donald Trump’s rightwing anti-immigration policies.
The plan would in effect repurpose the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), which sought to manage and facilitate the flow of people into the US under previous administrations, into a bureau meant to help deport immigrants from the country.
A congressional notification from the state department obtained by the Guardian said the office would be involved in “repatriation tracking”, would “actively facilitate” the “voluntary return of migrants” to other countries, and would work with the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement to “advance the president’s immigration agenda”.
“Reflecting core administration priorities, these offices will be substantially reorganized to shift focus towards supporting the administration’s efforts to return illegal aliens to their country of origin or legal status,” the document read.
The overhaul is part of a broader restructuring of the state department under its secretary, Marco Rubio, to create a “more agile department, better equipped to promote America’s interests and keep Americans safe across the world”.
Under the plan, which was submitted to Congress this week, the state department would eliminate or consolidate more than 300 offices and bureaus, leading to the firing, or “reduction in force”, of more than 3,400 employees.
The firings would not target members of consular affairs or law enforcement and other key roles of state.
Dani Anguiano
In California, the conservative enclaves of Shasta County in the north and Huntington Beach in the south have frequently sought to distance themselves from the liberal policies of the deeply Democratic state. Both jurisdictions have passed resolutions expressing their opposition to sanctuary policies – rejecting California law, which limits cooperation with federal immigration officials (although Shasta has previously voted to declare itself a “second amendment sanctuary”).
Yet this week Shasta county and Huntington Beach found themselves on a list produced by the Trump administration identifying them as sanctuary jurisdictions that “undermine the rule of law and endanger the lives of Americans and law enforcement”. Nearly every county in California was included, even those such as Shasta, which passed an anti-sanctuary resolution last year, and Amador where the sheriff has said he would cooperate with immigration authorities. Huntington Beach found itself on the list even though the city council voted to identify the community as a non-sanctuary city.
“We went out of our way to declare non-sanctuary status,” Pat Burns, the city’s mayor, told the Voice of OC. He described Huntington Beach’s inclusion as a “misprint” or “grave error”.
The Department for Homeland Security said in a statement that it would notify each jurisdiction of its “non-compliance with federal statutes” and demand they immediately change their policies. It also noted the list can be “reviewed and changed at any time”.
Biden “optimistic” on cancer diagnoses, proud of record
Joanna Walters
Joe Biden spoke with reporters after giving his first speech since being diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this month.
“All the folks are very optimistic…the expectation is we are going to be able to beat this,” he said.
Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
Moments ago, speaking at a memorial event in Delaware, the former US president said he was already undergoing treatment, which he said currently consisted of “one particular pill” a day.
“It’s not in any organs, my bones are strong,” he said. He also said he was under the care of a world class surgeon who had himself beat prostate cancer three decades ago.
He didn’t mention Donald Trump but said that the US is at “a really difficult moment, not just Americans, the world” and that America is at “an inflection point where the decisions we make in the next little bit are going to determine what things look like for the next 20 years.”
Biden also said: “I’m very proud. I’ll put my record as president against any president at all.”
Elon Musk and Donald Trump to give joint press conference
In about five minutes, Elon Musk and Donald Trump are to give a joint press conference from the Oval Office to mark the last of Musk’s turbulent 130 days leading Doge as a special government employee.
He leaves without saving the federal government much money but he has succeeded in upending the lives of millions around the world from the resulting chaos of his haphazardly detrimental cuts to federal funding, as well as taking a chainsaw to his own international reputation.
“This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way,” Trump posted on Truth Social yesterday in what is no doubt an attempt at unity amid rumours of a rift between the two men, in particular over Musk’s criticisms of Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax bill and his private opposition to the president’s tariffs regime.
It’s sure to be interesting, we’ll bring you any key news lines here.
Golden Dome missile defense program won’t be done by end of Trump’s term
Hugo Lowell
Donald Trump’s so-called Golden Dome missile defense program – which will feature space-based weapons to intercept strikes against the US – is not expected to be ready before the end of his term, despite his prediction that it would be completed within the next three years.
In the Oval Office last week, when he announced that the US space force would oversee the project under Gen Michael Guetlein, the president said he was confident that it would be “fully operational” before he left office.
But the implementation plan for the Golden Dome produced by the Pentagon, as described by two people familiar with the matter, envisions having the defense weapons being ready only for a demonstration and under perfect conditions by the end of 2028.
The Golden Dome program is effectively becoming operational in phases as opposed to it coming online all at once. Initially, the Pentagon is set to focus on integrating data systems before developing space-based weapons later, the people said.
What might be possible in 18 months is for the US to have the foundations of a fully operational Golden Dome, where a military network of satellites and space-based communication systems could track hundreds of inbound missiles towards the US.
There would be no capability to take out the missiles using space-based weapons at that stage. The US has roughly 40 Patriot defense batteries in Alaska and California that could be used to kill potential intercontinental ballistic missiles.
By the end of Trump’s term, instead, the Pentagon could have the network of space-based sensors and communications, and attempt to integrate it with untested space-based weapons to shoot them down.
The space-based network is likely to rely heavily on Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which has been developing a next-generation tracking system known as the “aerial moving target identifier”. The defense department acquired the first prototypes last year during the Biden administration.
But the flagship concept for Golden Dome, to identify and kill ballistic missiles in the first 30 seconds to two minutes of launch when their heat signature is greatest – known as “boost phase” – is not expected to be ready.
That technology remains in development and it may not be feasible for years for a counter-missile launched from space to cut through Earth’s atmosphere with enough force to eliminate a ballistic missile, the people said.
Elon Musk allegedly took large amounts of drugs including ketamine while advising Trump – NYT
Joseph Gedeon
Elon Musk engaged in extensive drug consumption while serving as one of Donald Trump’s closest advisers, taking ketamine so frequently it caused bladder problems and traveling with a daily supply of approximately 20 pills, an investigation from the New York Times (paywall) has revealed.
The world’s richest man regularly consumed ketamine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms during his rise to political prominence, anonymous sources familiar with his activities told the Times. His drug use reportedly intensified as he donated $275m to Trump’s presidential campaign and later wielded significant power through his role spearheading the “department of government efficiency”, or Doge.
Musk announced his departure from government service on Wednesday evening, months after exhibiting erratic behavior including insulting cabinet members and making a Nazi-like salute at a political rally.
The Doge leader developed what sources described to the Times as a serious ketamine habit, consuming the powerful anesthetic sometimes daily rather than the “small amount” taken “about once every two weeks” he claimed in interviews. “If you’ve used too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done, and I have a lot of work,” Musk previously told journalist Don Lemon in March 2024, downplaying his consumption.
However, by spring last year, the Times reports that Musk was telling associates his ketamine use was affecting his bladder – a known consequence of chronic abuse of the drug, which has psychedelic properties and can cause dissociation from reality, according to the DEA.
His regular medication box contained pills bearing Adderall markings alongside other substances, according to sources with the Times who have seen photographs of the container.
It remains unclear whether Musk was under the influence during his time at the White House, where he attended sensitive meetings with foreign leaders and held power over federal spending cuts.
The White House did not return a request for comment on whether Musk underwent drug testing despite his access to classified information.
White House says US considering other actions on China amid trade spat
The Trump administration is preparing to take other actions targeting China, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy has said following Donald Trump’s accusation that Beijing had “totally violated” its preliminary trade agreement with the US.
“That opens up all manner of action for the United States to ensure future compliance,” Stephen Miller told reporters.
“There are measures that have already been taken, there are measures that are being taken, there are measures that are being considered,” he said separately on CNN. “It would be incredibly unwise for China to continue down this path and not seek instead the path of cooperation.”
It’s been a few hours since Trump’s post on Truth Social but he’s yet to explain the action taken by China that has allegedly violated the agreement, but a US official told Reuters that it appears China was moving slowly on promises to issue export licenses for rare earths minerals.
The Geneva agreement called for China to lift trade countermeasures that restrict its exports of the critical metals needed for US semiconductor, electronics and defense production.
Trump’s trade representative Jamieson Greer also said this morning that critical minerals was one area of particular concern. He told CNBC earlier:
We haven’t seen the flow of some of those critical minerals as they were supposed to be doing … China continues to, you know, slow down and choke off things like critical minerals and rare earth magnets.
It follows comments from treasury secretary Scott Bessent yesterday stating that trade talks between the US and China were “a bit stalled” and getting a deal over the finish line will likely need the direct involvement of Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Max Planck Society, one of Europe’s leading research bodies, has seen a threefold surge in applications from US researchers following the Trump administration’s attacks on higher education in the US, Reuters reported.
The German state-backed network of research centers received over triple the amount of applications from the US this spring compared to last year in its latest call for early-career scientists looking to set up their own research labs.
“What’s interesting is the number of applications from other parts of the world remained constant,” Patrick Cramer, president of the Max Planck Society, told Reuters. “If you look at which institutions these applications are coming from, you see almost half are concentrated at five institutions: Harvard, Stanford, MIT, the National Institutes of Health and the University of California.”
The flood of applicants comes at a time of concern over a potential American “brain drain” where scientists and researchers in the US are considering leaving the country to pursue foreign research opportunities.
Biden urges defense of democracy, in first speech since cancer reveal
Joanna Walters
Joe Biden just gave a speech in Delaware, his first since he was diagnosed earlier this month with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
The former president was commemorating fallen members of the military, in a week that began with the Memorial Day holiday that is traditionally dedicated to remembering those killed in service. He drew a direct line between their sacrifice and what Americans need to do now.
“They are not asking us to risk our lives, they are asking us to stay true to what America stands for. They are not asking us to do their jobs, they are asking us do our jobs – to protect our nation, in our time, now, to defend democracy.”
Biden, a Democrat, did not mention his successor, Donald Trump, and the Republican president’s self-referential Memorial Day address or his thrust to expand his presidential power in what critics say is a threat to the rule of law and US democracy, but he did not need to.
Biden also did not refer to his cancer or any treatment. He sounded vigorous and impassioned. He delivered the speech in New Castle as his family also marked the 10-year anniversary of the death of his son Beau, from brain cancer at the age of 46.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has removed language that says healthy children should get COVID vaccines. The public health agency has posted new recommendations that healthy children may, but no longer should, get COVID-19 shots, the Associated Press reported.
The change comes days after US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, though the CDC website did not appear to substantially change recommendations for pregnant women.
The US has cut awards to 24 green energy projects, including to an Exxon refinery complex in Texas issued during former President Joe Biden’s administration that totaled more than $3.7 billion, the Energy Department confirmed on Friday to Reuters.
The Trump administration has said it is “reevaluating” publicly-funded awards and loans issued to emerging technology projects during Biden’s administration. The administration has so far dismantled several of Biden’s policies on climate and clean energy while pursuing a very pro-oil agenda.
The Office of Clean Energy Demonstration awards the department axed include nearly $332 million to a project at Exxon Mobil’s Baytown, Texas refinery complex, $500 million to Heidelberg Materials, US in Louisiana, and $375 million to Eastman Chemical Company in Longview, Texas.
