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Elon Musk is easily the world’s wealthiest man, with a net worth topping $300 billion. But even he stands to make more money from his association with the federal government after placing a winning bet on Donald Trump’s election to the presidency. “It’s going to be a golden era for Musk with Trump in the White House,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said. Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX received billions of dollars in federal contracts, and could be in line for more, while his five other businesses could gain from a lighter regulatory touch. Trump named Musk to co-head a new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — a nod to the cryptocurrency Musk adores. However, federal law bars executive branch employees, which can include unpaid consultants, from participating in government matters that will affect their financial interests, unless they divest of their interests or recuse themselves. Trump’s transition team has sought a work-around, saying he would “provide advice and guidance from outside of Government” with the work concluding by July 2026, according to a news release. Richard Painter, a University of Minnesota Law School professor and former chief White House ethics lawyer, said that if Musk is truly working outside the government he doesn’t have to sell his assets, but that limits his influence. “He can make recommendations, but ultimately the decisions are made by government officials,” Painter said. Trump’s campaign and Musk’s companies didn’t respond to requests for comment. Here’s how Musk could benefit from Trump’s presidency. If there’s one Musk business that could profit the most from the incoming Trump administration, it’s SpaceX. The company, which announced this year it would move its headquarters from California to Texas, already received at least $21 billion in federal funds since its 2002 founding, according to government contracting research firm The Pulse. That includes contracts for launching military satellites, servicing the International Space Station and building a lunar lander. However, that figure could be dwarfed by a federal initiative to fund a Mars mission, which is the stated goal of SpaceX. “Elon Musk is wealthy, but he’s not wealthy enough to completely fund humans to Mars. It needs to be a public/private partnership, because of the tens of billions of dollars that this would cost, or even hundreds of billions dollars,” said Laura Forczyk, executive director of space industry consulting firm Astralytical. SpaceX already made big strides testing Musk’s Starship rocket, the most powerful ever built. NASA envisions employing the rocket in its Artemis program to return humans to the moon, but it has been designed to have enough thrust to propel a spacecraft to Mars. What’s more, Trump, during his first presidency, speculated on Twitter about why the United States was focusing on the moon instead of Mars. Still, there are technical challenges, with SpaceX yet to complete the $4 billion Starship lunar lander, which would have to be modified for Mars. And without a pressing geopolitical threat, Congress may be unwilling to spend more on space exploration, as it did during the 1960s with the Apollo program, Forczyk said. Should a Mars project not materialize, SpaceX could still reap rewards in the next four years. For example, the Federal Communications Commission denied SpaceX nearly $900 million in federal subsidies to provide rural broadband access through its Starlink satellite network. Under new FCC leadership, Forczyk sees that being reversed. Trump’s policies could reduce the sales of electric vehicles, but with Musk’s influence, his administration’s policies could boost Tesla — though not with federal funding. For example, Trump, who tempered criticism of electric vehicles after Musk backed him, might end a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles. That would hurt Tesla’s unprofitable rivals that rely more on the tax credits to lure customers. “Tesla is the only automaker that has the scale and scope to price vehicles in a $30,000-to-$40,000 range and make significant profits,” Ives said. “It would essentially take competition out of the market.” Trump’s Republican administration also is considering imposing tariffs on Mexico and China, which could make cars more expensive. Ives said he expects Trump to make exceptions for Tesla and Apple so they’re not hit by a tax on imported goods. Tesla receives only a smattering of federal contracts, according to USAspending.gov , a database that tracks U.S. government spending. This year, Tesla received at least $2.8 million from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation through a federally funded program to deploy EV charging stations. Musk’s startup xAI doesn’t appear to have federal government contracts, but artificial intelligence companies could benefit in other ways under Trump. Republicans and Musk have expressed support for cutting regulation to fuel AI innovation, a crucial part of the future of tech companies. But Musk has also warned that AI could pose a threat to humanity, and it’s unclear how Trump plans to address potential safety risks that come with technology including fraud, bias and disinformation. X, formerly known as Twitter, served as an online megaphone for Musk, who constantly shared his support for Trump during the election season. The social media site, which recently relocated its San Francisco headquarters to Texas, doesn’t appear to have any federal government contracts, but X could benefit from policy changes that affect its rivals such as Meta and TikTok. Musk, who has declared himself a “free speech absolutist,” recently shared an old Trump video with the words “YES!” In the video from 2022, Trump says he would change Section 230, a law that shields platforms from liability for user-generated content. Platforms would qualify for immunity only if the companies “meet high standards of neutrality, transparency, fairness and nondiscrimination,” Trump said. Fed up with Los Angeles traffic, Elon Musk launched The Boring Co. with two tweets in 2016, promising “to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging.” The Bastrop, Texas, company, formerly headquartered in Hawthorne, has completed a 1.7-mile loop under the Las Vegas Convention Center and is building a larger citywide loop — both without federal funding. Projects in some other cities didn’t get past the proposal stages. However, at Trump’s urging, congressional representatives could earmark local transportation projects to the benefit of Boring Co., though the company would still have to compete to win them, said Greg Griffin, a former urban planning professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, who studied that city’s proposed Boring Co. project. Controlling robotic limbs. Seeing without eyes. Those are the kinds of miraculous advances Musk’s Neuralink startup has been trying to achieve. The Fremont, California, company he co-founded in 2016 doesn’t receive federal money, but its technology and clinical trails are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The more hands-off approach favored by Trump could aid such medical device developers. “We’re concerned that regulation in general in the FDA will be weakened under the second Trump administration, and particularly concerned about medical devices,” said Dr. Robert Steinbrook, health research group director for the consumer rights group Public Citizen. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
The Associated Press 7:53 JST, December 30, 2024 ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old. The Carter Center said the 39th president died Sunday afternoon, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. The center said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. “To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement. “He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.” Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for president in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under double-digit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn co-founded The Carter Center in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiate cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, the center had monitored at least 113 elections around the world. Carter was determined to eradicate guinea worm infections as one of many health initiatives. Swinging hammers into their 90s, the Carters built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The common observation that he was better as an ex-president rankled Carter. His allies were pleased that he lived long enough to see biographers and historians revisit his presidency and declare it more impactful than many understood at the time. Propelled in 1976 by voters in Iowa and then across the South, Carter ran a no-frills campaign. Americans were captivated by the earnest engineer, and while an election-year Playboy interview drew snickers when he said he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times,” voters tired of political cynicism found it endearing. The first family set an informal tone in the White House, carrying their own luggage, trying to silence the Marine Band’s traditional “Hail to the Chief” and enrolling daughter, Amy, in public schools. Carter was lampooned for wearing a cardigan and urging Americans to turn down their thermostats. But Carter set the stage for an economic revival and sharply reduced America’s dependence on foreign oil by deregulating the energy industry along with airlines, trains and trucking. He established the departments of Energy and Education, appointed record numbers of women and nonwhites to federal posts, preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and pardoned most Vietnam draft evaders. Emphasizing human rights, he ended most support for military dictators and took on bribery by multinational corporations by signing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He persuaded the Senate to ratify the Panama Canal treaties and normalized relations with China, an outgrowth of Nixon’s outreach to Beijing. But crippling turns in foreign affairs took their toll. When OPEC hiked crude prices, making drivers line up for gasoline as inflation spiked to 11%, Carter tried to encourage Americans to overcome “a crisis of confidence.” Many voters lost confidence in Carter instead after the infamous address that media dubbed his “malaise” speech, even though he never used that word. After Carter reluctantly agreed to admit the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979. Negotiations to quickly free the hostages broke down, and then eight Americans died when a top-secret military rescue attempt failed. Carter also had to reverse course on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Though historians would later credit Carter’s diplomatic efforts for hastening the end of the Cold war, Republicans labeled his soft power weak. Reagan’s “make America great again” appeals resonated, and he beat Carter in all but six states. Born Oct. 1, 1924, James Earl Carter Jr. married fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith in 1946, the year he graduated from the Naval Academy. He brought his young family back to Plains after his father died, abandoning his Navy career, and they soon turned their ambitions to politics. Carter reached the state Senate in 1962. After rural white and Black voters elected him governor in 1970, he drew national attention by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Carter published more than 30 books and remained influential as his center turned its democracy advocacy onto U.S. politics, monitoring an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis, Carter said he felt “perfectly at ease with whatever comes.” “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said. “I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.”
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HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanim met Sunday with the visiting Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs of Spain Diego Martinez Belio, to participate in the 22nd edition of the Doha Forum. The meeting reviewed the existing bilateral relations between the countries and discussed the developments in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. In this regard, HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanim praised the principled positions adopted by Spain towards Arab issues, lauding its continued support for the rights of the Palestinian people through humanitarian aid as well as political positions in international forums and its recognition of the State of Palestine. During the meeting, HE the Speaker of the Shura Council highlighted the important parliamentary role in supporting just causes and promoting peace and understanding among people, stressing the Shura Council's commitment to continue working with its counterparts in various countries to support the principles of justice and humanity. Diego Martinez noted the distinguished relations between Qatar and Spain, which are based on mutual respect and joint co-operation in various fields. The Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs praised Qatar's pioneering role in resolving conflicts through mediation, stressing his country's and the international community's appreciation for these efforts that contribute to promoting dialogue and peace. Related Story Kahramaa chief heads Qatari delegation to Arab Water Council QRDI Council hosts German SME delegates to strengthen collaborationTaylor Swift and Travis Kelce are having an enchanted holiday break with good friends. The pair was spotted out on a double date at BondST restaurant in New York City Dec. 27 with the Grammy winner’s longtime pal and collaborator Jack Antonoff and his wife, actress Margaret Qualley. Taylor wore an oversized, beige tweed, crystal-embroidered Stella McCartney blazer, paired with what appeared to be a black skirt, sheer, diamond-patterned black Sheertex tights and Marc Jacobs ankle-length platform boots, as seen in photos published by the Daily Mail. Travis matched the “Style” singer with a beige cardigan, paired with a black shirt, tan pants, dark shoes, glasses and a black cap. He and Taylor were photographed leaving the eatery, with the NFL star leading his girlfriend by the hand. Margaret bundled up in a dark coat with black tights, while Jack wore a yellow zip-up top, black jacket and jeans. Taylor had attended the couple’s wedding in August 2023, weeks before she was first photographed at one of the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s games following romance rumors between the two. She and the NFL star have now been dating for over a year. They have supported each other’s careers consistently, with him attending more than a dozen concerts on her Eras tour, which ended Dec. 8, and Taylor being spotted at more than a dozen of Travis’ games, most recently Dec. 21, when the Chiefs beat the Houston Texans. While the “Blank Space” singer was absent from the Kansas City team’s Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, she did publicly express support for her boyfriend after he scored his 77th receiving touchdown-to break a record previously held by Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez-by liking several social posts celebrating the feat. Travis had also celebrated Taylor’s career milestone-her Eras Tour, which began in March 2023 and included 149 concerts held in 51 cities, had set a world record to become the highest-grossing music tour by generating more than $1 billion in revenue. The athlete threw the singer a star-studded, Eras-tour-themed party. He also gave her a shoutout on his and brother Jason Kelce’s podcast. “Obviously, it’s her music, her tour and everything but that was a full production, man,” Travis said on the Dec. 11 episode of New Heights. “It was the best tour in the world because of a lot of people.” He added, “And mostly because of Taylor.”