Washington Post: “Little by little, after an initial phase of stunned confusion, the broader resistance to Trump is beginning to wake up.”

“Elon Musk and his cost-cutting U.S. DOGE Service team have been on a mission to trim government largesse. Yet Musk is one of the greatest beneficiaries of the taxpayers’ coffers,” the Washington Post reports.

“Over the years, Musk and his businesses have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits, often at critical moments, a Washington Post analysis has found, helping seed the growth that has made him the world’s richest person.”

Wall Street Journal: “Trump whispering is a practice that takes many forms—flattery, reverse psychology and pomp—but its ultimate aim is to guide him toward your foreign-policy goals. Politicians who pride themselves on Trump whispering say it starts by understanding his transactional instincts.”

“Framing geopolitical issues in real-estate terms is one technique. So is appealing to Trump’s sense of status among world leaders. During Trump’s first term, Macron invited him to Bastille Day celebrations in 2017, making him the guest of honor at France’s annual military parade. The gesture spawned an initial bromance between the men that was expressed in backslaps, hugs and air kisses. Disagreements over Iran and other issues, however, clouded the relationship later in Trump’s first term.”

“Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said on Tuesday that more than 100 intelligence officers from 15 agencies had been fired for having sexually explicit discussions on a government chat tool,” the New York Times reports.

“Elon Musk’s net worth fell by $22.2 billion Tuesday — his fourth-largest one-day loss — as stock markets faltered on skepticism about potential tariffs and ongoing federal cost-cutting efforts,” Bloomberg reports.

Wall Street Journal: “They carry a three-letter designation that allows them to wear both hats: ‘SGE,’ or special government employee. It’s a status under federal ethics laws that permits private-sector employees to work inside the government without having to relinquish their outside salaries or investments.”

“Only a sliver of cases must publicly disclose clients or potential conflicts of interest. While the rules limit work to up to 130 days in any given year, it can be extended if the administration desires.”

“President Donald Trump promised to make the federal government more efficient — to do more with less. He even deputized billionaire Elon Musk to be the face of a new Department of Government Efficiency,” NBC News reports.

“But critics say Musk’s chainsaw approach to slashing government programs, contracts and workers is having the opposite effect, sowing such confusion that it has hamstrung the bureaucracy’s ability to serve the public and even carry out key parts of Trump’s own agenda.”

Washington Post: Musk fights back as some Trump aides resist intensifying DOGE push.

CNN: A nascent backlash against Musk sharpens risk for Trump and GOP.

“When billionaire Elon Musk posted on X last weekend that all federal employees would soon receive an email demanding details of their work from the past week, senior White House officials — who had not been fully briefed on the plan — were initially caught off guard,” ABC News reports.

“Musk’s email would then set off widespread confusion across the federal government. It created tension among members of Trump’s Cabinet, as multiple agency heads told their employees to hold off on replying until they themselves were briefed on the situation.”

Washington Examiner: Senate Republicans want Trump Cabinet to take cost-cutting reins from Musk.