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Elon Musk, preparing to step back from his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency, had a request of the reporters gathered at the White House to interview him: Before he would answer any questions, he wanted someone to tell him a joke.The tech billionaire’s request in the Roosevelt Room on Wednesday underscored the surreal and idiosyncratic presence of the world’s richest man at the highest echelons of American power. Over the past few months, his work of downsizing the workforce has sent shocks through the federal government and drawn intense pushback, including protests of his electric vehicle company, Tesla.Musing about his and DOGE’s incongruous role in the U.S. government, he said, “It is funny that we’ve got DOGE.”“Doesn’t the absurdity of that seem, like, like, are we in a simulation here or what’s going on? But, like, it was a meme coin at one point,” he said, laughing. “How did we get here?”Musk, clad in all black but missing the two hats he had worn at Wednesday’s earlier Cabinet meeting, defended DOGE’s work as he prepares to scale back his government role and spend more time at his businesses. But he gave hazy answers about the work he’d been doing and DOGE’s future, and he seemed taken aback by the intense backlash he’d encountered.“Being attacked relentlessly is not super fun,” he said. “Seeing cars burning is not fun,” he added, referring to the instances of Tesla cars being smashed or set on fire.“In the grand scheme of things, I think we’ve been effective. Not as effective as I’d like. I think we could be more effective,” Musk said. “But we’ve made progress.”DOGE’s large-scale slashings have been met with dozens of lawsuits. DOGE’s attempts to access sensitive government information, including Social Security data, has similarly met resistance in court. And Democrats this week unveiled an online tracker tallying the federal funds approved by Congress that DOGE has blocked, setting up a constitutional struggle between two branches of government.Musk wouldn’t offer examples of anything he’d do differently, though DOGE is nowhere near its original savings goal and has overstated its progress.DOGE had sought to cut spending by $1 trillion. Musk estimates he’s cut $160 billion so far and acknowledged it would be hard to get anywhere close to $1 trillion.“It’s sort of, how much pain is the Cabinet and the Congress willing to take?” Musk said. “It can be done, but it requires dealing with a lot of complaints.”Musk didn’t detail any of those complaints and said he has a good relationship with President Donald Trump’s Cabinet. But when asked about clashes with certain members, particularly Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Musk said, “at times, there will be some disagreements with the Cabinet.”He defended DOGE’s attempts to access Americans’ personal data, dismissing concerns about a potential “surveillance state” by quipping, “Don’t we already have a surveillance state?” He said DOGE needs to access the systems in its hunt for fraud, and said, “There has to be some way to reconcile the improper payments.”He said DOGE has referred cases of suspected fraud to the Justice Department, though he offered few details, including how many referrals were made. Antonio Gracias, a Musk investor working for DOGE, pointed to the indictment last week of an Iraqi man living in New York on charges he illegally voted in the 2020 election. U.S. prosecutors said DOGE assisted in the investigation.Musk acknowledged there were some instances in which they had to restore the jobs of government workers who, in his words, were “accidently let go,” like “some people that were doing important regulatory work or taking care of national parks.”When asked if he’s found any areas where he’d recommended efficiencies beyond cuts, Musk veered into the nation’s military strategy and said he has repeatedly recommended to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that he should be spending more money on hypersonic missiles and long-range drones instead of on crewed systems.Musk said DOGE is also working on improving connectivity for the nation’s air traffic control system and reviewing plans to improve its software, but DOGE’s primary goal is “trying to stop wasteful and fraudulent spending.”But on other points, he was vague. Who will lead DOGE when he leaves? “DOGE is a way of life,” he said. “Like Buddhism.”Will he retain the title of senior adviser to the president?“I guess.”Will DOGE wrap up its work by July 2026, as originally stated?“If the president wants us to stick to that date, we’ll stick to that date.”How many of the roughly 100 DOGE employees will stay on the job while he winds down?“Some will stay on. Some will not. So it’s up to them. This is basically a volunteer organization.”Is DOGE winding down?“No, I think it will gain momentum.”Musk struck up a friendship with Trump during the 2024 campaign and spent nearly $300 million on the electionthe bulk of which went toward helping the Republican reclaim the White House. He has since become a constant presence with Trump for much of the first 100 days of the administration, regularly traveling with the president to his home in Florida on the weekends.Musk said Wednesday that he was working on DOGE seven days a week during the first months of the administration, at times sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom at Trump’s invitation.He declined to say just how many times he had slept at the White House but said the president had implored him to try the caramel ice cream from the kitchen.“Don’t tell RFK,” Musk joked, referring to Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Musk described it as an “intense period” during which he was trying to understand and map out the federal government.“It’s a startup, effectively. A new administration is like a startup,” he said.But he said he is now scaling back his work on DOGE, spending one to two days a week on it, and he plans to be in Washington less.“Now we’re getting more of a rhythm so the amount of time that’s necessary for me to spend here is much less,” he said.He also pointed to the limitation on his status as a special government employee, which means he can only work 130 days in a 365-day time period.He said he will keep his “tiny” office on the second floor of the West Wing that he said has “a view of nothing”a feature, he then remarked, that keeps him safe.“It’s harder to shoot me,” he said. “There’s not a good line of sight.” Michelle L. Price Associated Press/p>
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E-Commerce
The cost of a multistep skincare routine can quickly add up. But have you ever wondered what would happen if you simply stopped? This weekend, a TikTok creator went viral for discussing her controversial Caveman Method, which she claims is helping restore her skin barrier after years of picking at her skin. In a video that has since racked up nearly 10 million views, Tia Zakher announced she had cut out everything from her beauty routineeven water. @tiazakher its SO tempting to not pick at it but so far so good I Love It (feat. Charli XCX) – Icona Pop What you are seeing is dead skin thats going to flake off eventually while healthy skin forms underneath, she posted in response to questions about the texture on her face. In a separate video, she explains that the look of her skin is due to retention hyperkeratosis, in which the skin holds onto dead cells instead of shedding them immediately, as a result of years of overpicking and removing texture manually. While some accused the creator of rage-baitingpretending not to wash her face, or creating the look with a clay mask and powder just for views (she has since reintroduced water back into her routine)others were curious about the validity of the so-called Caveman Method. Rather than rely on TikTok diagnosis, Fast Company reached out to aesthetician and skin specialist Dr. Ellie Sateei for her expert opinion. Washing your face at night isnt just a beauty ritualits a fundamental part of skin health, Sateei explains. Cleansing your face at night is essential, and not just for removing makeup, sunscreen, and pollution, but for allowing your skin to properly repair itself overnight. While the Caveman Method suggests skipping this step to reduce irritation and reset the skin without interference from products such as retinol and moisturizerwhich didnt exist back in the Stone Ageits not backed by science. Sateei warns that it can lead to congestion, dullness, and breakouts, much like going to bed without brushing your teeth affects your oral health, she adds. While some claim that a back-to-basics approach helps the skin barrier, the buildup of oil, dirt, and environmental pollutants can actually end up damaging it further. Most peoples skin also doesnt benefit from a 14-step beauty routine before bed, as some skin-fluencers might suggest. Instead, Sateei recommends a minimal but balanced routine. Use gentle products that support the skins natural processes without overwhelming it, she says. Its about respecting your skins needs, not neglecting them.
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E-Commerce
The past 12 months have been rough for many retail chains. Major names like Big Lots and Joann filed for bankruptcy, resulting in the closures of hundreds of locations. In Joanns case, those locations are gone for good, while some Big Lots locations have been reopened under new ownership. Unfortunately for another retailerthe fast fashion chain Forever 21it seems like none of its more than 350 stores in the United States will get a last-minute reprieve. Instead, it now appears likely that all Forever 21 stores in the U.S. will suffer the same fate as Joanns stores. Heres what you need to know about the Forever 21 store closings. Whats happened? Earlier this year, a company called F21 OpCo, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. While you may not have heard of F21 OpCo, LLC, you’ve surely heard of the retailer it operates: Forever 21. F21 OpCo is the licensee of the Forever 21 brand inside the United States (international stores are operated by other entities). As part of its bankruptcy, F21 OpCo announced it would close its Forever 21 locations in the United States unless a buyer could be found. In a memo from F21 OpCo, LLCs chief financial officer, Brad Sell, posted on the companys website, Sell said the reasons for the companys bankruptcy were rising costs and increased competition from abroad that has made the companys current business model unsustainable. In a March press release announcing the bankruptcy, F21 OpCo also stated that while it was beginning wind-down procedures for its stores, it would at the same time continue to try to find a buyer. In the event of a successful sale, the Company may pivot away from a full wind down of operations to facilitate a going-concern transaction, it said at the time. In other words, Forever 21 could live on if another entity bought F21 OpCos operations. But it has not announced a new buyer since then, nor has it responded to requests for comment. More than 350 Forever 21 store closings Throughout April, F21 OpCo held store closing sales at all of its 356 Forever 21 stores in the United States. According to court documents, those sales would conclude no later than April 30, 2025,” which the documents refer to as the “sale termination date.” That means that as of today, May 1, all Forever 21 stores in the United States are likely to have closed, although individual stores did have the option to extend the sales and stay open for longer. Fast Company reached out to F21 OpCo and Forever 21 for clarity on whether any U.S locations would continue to operate beyond this week, but we did not hear back. The only thing that could have kept any of these stores from shuttering was if F21 OpCo found a buyer, but the company has made no public announcement that it has done so. List of Forever 21 store closings According to its store locator tool, F21 OpCo operated 356 Forever 21 stores across 43 states and Puerto Rico. The states that had the most Forever 21 stores were California, with 57 locations, Texas, with 32 locations, and Florida, with 23 locations. The number of locations in each state is listed below. You can click on a states name to be taken to F21 OpCos online store locator tool to see each of the individual stores in those states. Currently, the listing for individual stores does not list any of the locations as permanently closed (although recent user reviews on Google and elsewhere have indicated that many have shuttered). Unless F21 OpCo found a last-minute buyer, or unless certain individual stores agreed to extend their sales, it is likely the below locations are now shuttered for good or soon will be. Alabama (3) Arizona (8) Arkansas (2) California (57) Colorado (5) Connecticut (6) Delaware (2) Florida (23) Georgia (18) Idaho (1) Illinois (15) Indiana (6) Iowa (2) Kansas (2) Kentucky (3) Louisiana (6) Maryland (6) Massachusetts (11) Michigan (9) Minnesota (1) Mississippi (1) Missouri (5) Nebraska (1) Nevada (6) New Hampshire (3) New Jersey (15) New Mexico (3) New York (21) North Carolina (10) North Dakota (1) Ohio (9) Oklahoma (2) Oregon (5) Pennsylvania (17) Puerto Rico (5) Rhode Island (1) South Carolina (3) South Dakota (1) Tennessee (6) Texas (32) Utah (3) Virginia (9) Washington (9) Wisconsin (2) Is Forever 21 closing globally? No. It’s important to note that the Forever 21 brand is not going away entirely. The Forever 21 chain will continue to operate in other countries. That’s because Forever 21 is licensed by other operators in those countries and not by F21 OpCo, LLC. In the memo posted on the Forever 21 website, F21 OpCo’s Brad Sell noted that “Forever 21 stores outside of the U.S. will continue to operate business as usual.” But unfortunately for its U.S.-based fans, Forever 21 is yet another American retailer that has succumbed to changing consumer habits and a shifting economic landscape.
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E-Commerce
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