Even as Mr Musk was speaking, workers at USAID ’s headquarters in Washington were being told not to come in the next day. Some 600 of the agency’s staff seem to have been locked out of their emails. That followed a weekend in which the agency’s website went offline;

Back in August, as speculation about a potential Elon Musk cabinet position began swirling, I wrote that the notion was laughable because a) you can’t work on government matters that affect your own personal finances,

Elon Musk has received quiet White House reminders in recent days that while he has wide latitude to slash spending, his power is not unchecked.