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If what you dont know cant hurt you, Elon Musk may be in luck. With a series of candid posts on X, the White Houses resident broligarch has lately been divulging which aspects of civics and data science he appears to know little about. Fortunately for anyone following along, a scattered battalion of experts and reporters has received each bumbling post on X like a social media bat signal. Every time Musk posts about, say, the dire need for retired air traffic controllers to get back into the game, or for flight trajectories to look like a straight line, a veteran campaign strategist will explain that air traffic controllers are required by law to retire at age 56, or a journalist will describe how flight plans and prohibited airspace function. Together, these folks have turned Musks X feed into one long teachable momentregardless of whether the primary pupil is paying any attention. It makes sense that most people wouldnt know the ins and outs of things like air traffic controller staffing protocol or flight paths. Its also reasonable to expect that Musk himself wouldnt know, even as his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team is in the midst of a drastic overhaul of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), at a critical juncture in the public perception of flight safety. What makes no sense, however, is for someone in Musks powerful position to find out how such important systems work, through social media rebuttals, only after hes already suggested sweeping changes within those systems. Early days of DOGE When Musk first started planning DOGEs implementation, he had a golden opportunity to learn about government functionality. According to a recent New York Times report about DOGEs origins, the task of putting logistics around Musks ideas fell to health care entrepreneur Brad Smith, who had previously worked with Jared Kushner during Trumps first term. In the first week after the election, Mr. Smith gave Mr. Musk a presentation that amounted to a basic budget and civics lesson, explaining how Congress appropriated funds and noting major line items like defense and health care, the report reads. In one early meeting, Mr. Musk said Mr. Smith was being too careful and offering classic consultant stuff. In discussions, Mr. Musk expressed impatience with Mr. Smiths caution that the team would need a phalanx of lawyers to help with executive orders and regulations. Mr. Musk wanted to tear down the government to the studs, and saw Mr. Smiths approach as incremental. Shoot first, ask questions later Musks apparent distaste for caution has led to a more “shoot first and ask questions later” style of reshaping the federal government. In the parlance of the 2020s, he is the literal embodiment of “FAFO” in action. But its those following along on X and Bluesky who are “Finding Out.” For instance, Musk recently posted an adamant denial on X that DOGEs cost-cutting has resulted in fewer funds for cancer research, after writer Molly Jong-Fast called him out on it. Of course, Musk had previously griped on X about how much money in endowments from the National Institute of Health were going toward indirect costs, which he described as overhead. Amid Musks denials about cutting funding for cancer research, experts quickly chimed in to explain that, in the realm of NIH funding, all that overhead provides critical support for biomedical research and trials, something Musk may not have been aware of. Its far from Musks only misapprehension around the allocation of government funds. When he posted Defund the ACLU in December, Musk may similarly not have known that the American Civil Liberties Union receives no money from taxpayers whatsoeversomething Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was quick to point out in a quote-reply. More galling, however, was Musks X post from mid-February, suggesting millions of dead people are currently collecting social security checks. As proof, he posted an excerpt of an Excel spreadsheet purportedly listing people up to 369 years of age receiving benefits. The following afternoon, social securitys acting commissioner, Lee Dudek, clarified: The reported data are people in our records with a social security number who do not have a date of death associated with their record. These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits. Even before Dudeks statement, though, X users came out of the woodwork to explain that the incredibly high ages listed in the social security database were due to outdated computer systems like COBOL and SQL. (Not that any of these corrections or Dudeks comments stopped Musk from going on Joe Rogans podcast over the weekend to continue peddling false claims about dead people receiving social security checks.) When Musk responded to one users suggestion that he doesnt understand how SQL works, writing, This [slur] thinks the government uses SQL, many users explained why the government might, in fact, plausibly use SQL. Even the Community Notes on X joined in on correcting Musk which may partly explain why hes announced a plan in the days since to overhaul the Community Notes system. Moving fast and breaking things Some of his recent posts suggest he would like to do the same to U.S. democracy altogether./p> What is the point of having democratic elections, he posted last week, if unelected activist judges can override the clear will of the people? As U.S. judges attempt to constrain some of DOGEs maneuvers, such as blocking the group from accessing the Department of Educations internal data, Musk continues questioning the role of the judiciary in American governance. When he floated the idea of annually firing the worst 1% of appointed judges, as determined by elected bodies, an economist wrote on Bluesky that Musk did not seem to understand Congress can already impeach judges. Whether he knew it at that point or not, he certainly does now, as Musk has recently started threatening judges with impeachment. The head of DOGE previously did not seem to know that the Ebola prevention team, nuclear arsenal experts, and bird flu officials were all indispensable before his department fired them. (And then subsequently attempted to rehire them.) Hopefully, there were no similar information gaps last Friday when DOGE fired hundreds of workers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations tsunami warning centersand none in the decision process for whichever teams DOGE fires next. Otherwise, what Musk doesnt know may end up hurting a great many other people.
Category:
E-Commerce
Sales and profits slipped for Target during the crucial holiday quarter as customers held back on spending and the company said there will be “meaningful pressure” on its profits to start the year because of tariffs and other costs.The retailer beat most estimates, however, and shares rose slightly before the opening bell Tuesday.Target reported net income of $1.1 billion, or $2.41 per share, far better than the $2.26 that Wall Street was expecting, according to a survey by FactSet. That is down from the $1.38 billion profit the company reported in the same period last year, though the most recent quarter had one fewer week of sales.Revenue fell to $30.91 billion, from $31.9 billion, but that also beat expectations.Americans have been pulling back on spending and retailers face a lot of uncertainty in the year ahead.President Donald Trump’s long-threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico went into effect Tuesday, pushing markets in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. lower, and setting up costly retaliations by the United States’ North American allies, not to mention China.China said Tuesday that it will impose additional tariffs of up to 15% on imports of key U.S. farm products, including chicken, pork, soy, and beef, and also expanded controls on doing business with key U.S. companies.Consumers have already been pulling back on discretionary spending because the costs of groceries have risen so sharply. That is an area where Target can be vulnerable because so much of its sales come from discretionary items like clothing, electronics purchases.Target said Tuesday that it expects sales to be flat in 2025, and that its earnings per share will be between $8.80 and $9.80. Wall Street had been projecting per-share earnings of $9.29 for the year.During the most recent quarter, comparable salesthose from stores and digital channels operating for at least 12 monthsrose 1.5%. That was higher than the 0.3% gain during the third quarter. Target posted a 2% gain in the second quarter and a 3.7% drop in the first quarter.Speaking about the current quarter, Chief Financial Officer Jim Lee said that sales declined in February in part because of brutal weather across the U.S. But sales should pick up, Lee said.“We will continue to monitor these trends and will remain appropriately cautious with our expectations for the year ahead,” Lee said. Anne D’Innocenzio, AP Retail Writer
Category:
E-Commerce
Almost half of Americans have considered or plan to move abroad to improve their happiness, according to a Harris poll published today. Specifically, the poll found that four in 10 Americans have at least thought about leaving the country within the next few years. And among Gen Z and millennials, almost one in five respondents reported seriously considering an imminent move. The results show that Americans are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the American Dream as the cost of essentials like rent, healthcare, and education continues to rise. Here are three main takeaways from the poll: Home ownership and cost of living are top of mind Per the new poll, 68% of Americans are in agreement about two key statements: These days I feel like I am surviving instead of thriving, and Homeownership is no longer attainable for most American citizens. Of those who said that theyd consider moving out of the U.S., 49% reported cost of living as their primary consideration. Dissatisfaction with the current political leadership ranked as the second highest concern. Sentiments around cost of living revealed in this poll are backed up by several recent reports. In early February, an update from the Labor Department showed that the consumer price indexan inflation barometer that considers essential costs like gas, groceries, and carswas up 3.3% year-over-year, compared to the previous January. For the past six months, inflation rates have hovered above the Feds 2% target. Meanwhile, Zillows most recent Home Value Index found that, As elevated mortgage rates dampen demand for home purchases, many potential buyers are staying renters for longer, predicting a 3.7% rise in single-family rents for 2025. The current economic reality can be even more disheartening for families: Based on a recent analysis by the National Womens Law Center, the average family would need to earn at least $180,000 annually in 2025 to comfortably afford the national cost of infant care. Who is more likely to be eyeing the exit? According to the new Harris Poll, these converging economic factors are more likely to push away younger, non-white, and LGBTQ+ Americans. While only 25% of Gen X and 26% of baby boomers said theyd considered moving abroad, 63% of Gen Zers and 52% of millennials said the same, respectively. Additionally, LGBTQIA+, Hispanic, and Black respondents were all more likely to consider moving. Dual citizenship is attractive for young Americans Younger Americans also expressed a greater desire than their older counterparts to obtain dual citizenship, with 66% of Gen Zers and millennials affirming that they were at least somewhat interested in pursuing it for travel freedom, economic opportunities, and better access to public services. The top 10 countries that Americans would consider moving to, in order, are as follows: Canada The U.K. Australia France Italy Japan Mexico Spain Germany New Zealand
Category:
E-Commerce
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