Musk, Johnson's feud over spending bill might signal larger rift in GOP

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The news, in brief …

• Trump rages at his own Supreme Court appointees

  Trump’s gleaming flotilla of xenophobic policies and outright government looting has repeatedly crashed against the rocks of the Supreme Court in his second term. According to reports, the president is fuming over the perceived disloyalty of Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.

• Hegseth orders removal of Harvey Milk's name from Navy ship

  Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly ordered the Navy to rename a ship christened for slain gay rights icon and Navy veteran Harvey Milk. The move comes as the Navy is considering renaming many other ships named for civil rights icons. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the move “shameful” and “vindictive” in a statement.

• White House gloats over detention of Boulder attack suspects family

  The White House bragged that it had “six one-way tickets” for the wife and children of Boulder terror attack suspect Mohamed Soliman, after the entire family was detained by ICE agents on Tuesday.

• Newark mayor sues former Trump attorney over arrest

  Ras Baraka filed a lawsuit against Alina Habba on Tuesday, saying the former Trumpworld lawyer “falsely accused Mayor Baraka of criminal conduct” and “acted as a political operative” following Baraka’s arrest at a protest last month. Baraka’s suit says Habba, who is currently serving as the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, showed a “reckless disregard of facts” while smearing the Newark mayor.

DOGE go breakin’ my heart …

Nobody voted for Elon Musk. That was one of the biggest gripes about the tech billionaire turned Department of Government Efficiency head during his 130 days in office. Still, since leaving his post in the Trump administration, Musk has pushed back harder on the GOP’s supercharged, Medicaid-slashing spending bill than many rightfully elected Democrats.

In a series of tweets, the rocket company CEO went scorched Earth on the party he was an honorary member of less than a week ago.

"This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it," he wrote on X. “In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.”

The tough talk inspired a heartbroken reaction from Republican leadership, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying he considered Musk “a good friend” and found his outburst “disappointing.”

“With all due respect, my friend Elon is terribly wrong about the one Big Beautiful Bill. We had a long conversation yesterday. He and I spoke for I think more than 20 minutes on the telephone and I extolled the virtues of the bill,” Johnson said.

What do you think? Will Musk, who helped push Trump into the Oval via a massive infusion of campaign cash, put his money into GOP opposition come election season? Is this the beginning of a larger Republican rift? Sound off in the comments.

Make me smarter …

Elon Musk claims he's leaving politics — no one should believe him

The world’s richest man has been allowed into the halls of power and spent months whispering into the ear of the leader of the free world. Any one who thinks he’ll go back to making cars and rockets after that is a fool. Read more.

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Before you go …

Hungrier kids, missed check-ups: Trump's cuts to childcare make it a lot harder to be a parent

Both Musk’s DOGE and the wider Trump administration have focused on slashing socialized spending on childcare. When the accumulated funding freezes and grant cancellations hit the nation’s childcare industry, parents and providers are in for a nightmare. Read more.