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President attacks New York Times over reporting as backlash over billonaire’s role in administration grows
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Donald Trump has angrily denied claims in a New York Times report that Elon Musk is scheduled to receive a Pentagon briefing on Friday about the U.S. military’s top-secret plans for combating aggression from China.
“The Fake News is at it again, this time the Failing New York Times. They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential ‘war with China,’” he said.
“‘How ridiculous?’ China will not even be mentioned or discussed. How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!”
On Thursday, the president signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “begin eliminating” the Department of Education in favor of leaving decision-making up to individual states.
On Friday, Trump said special needs and nutrition programs will come under the health department and student loans will become the remit of the Small Business Administration.
The president also awarded the sixth-generation F-47 fighter jet program to Boeing, a much-needed win for the troubled aviation giant.
President Donald Trump says the U.S. Air Force will move forward with the Sixth-Generation fighter jet program, to be known as the F-47 — after Trump, the 47th commander-in-chief.
As reported earlier, the contract is going to Boeing.
Trump revealed that an experimental version of the aircraft has been flying for almost five years and is equipped with stealth technology.
“The F-47 will be the most advanced, most capable, most lethal aircraft ever built. An experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost 5 years and we’re confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation.”
The new fleet will be built over the next couple of years.
The president was joined for the announcement in the Oval Office by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth says the announcement of the 6th generation fighter jet the F-47, “sends a direct, clear message to our allies that we’re not going anywhere and to our enemies that we can and will project power around the globe.”
As the dismantling of the Department of Education began President Donald Trump began his Oval Office remarks on the new fighter jet contracts by revealing the future of critical functions of the department.
The Small Business Administration, headed by Kelly Loeffler, will take over the handling of the student loan portfolio.
The Department of Health and Human Services, headed by Robert F Kennedy Jr. will take over special needs and nutrition programs.
Nearly 250 years after America cast off the shackles of empire by declaring independence from Great Britain, President Donald Trump appears inclined to take a small step back towards the warm embrace of the British monarchy by accepting an invitation from King Charles III for the United States to join the Commonwealth of Nations.
The King is reportedly preparing to extend the offer of “associate membership” in the voluntary association of 56 nations, most of which have history as former British colonies. And Trump, it seems, is open to the idea.
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, D.C.
While we wait for President Donald Trump’s delayed Oval Office announcement to begin, here’s what it’s all about, courtesy of Reuters.
The president has awarded Boeing a contract to build the U.S. Air Force’s most advanced fighter jet, known as Next Generation Air Dominance, according to two sources familiar with the situation who spoke to Reuters.
The NGAD program will replace Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor with a crewed aircraft designed to enter combat alongside drones. While the plane’s design remains a closely guarded secret, it is expected to feature stealth capabilities, advanced sensors, and cutting-edge engines.
The engineering and manufacturing development contract is valued at over $20 billion. The successful bidder will ultimately receive hundreds of billions of dollars in orders throughout the contract’s multi-decade term.
For Boeing, this victory represents a turnaround for a company that has faced challenges in both its commercial and defense sectors. It provides a significant boost to its fighter jet production operations in St. Louis, Missouri.
The United Arab Emirates has committed to a 10-year, $1.4 trillion investment framework in the U.S. following a meeting between top UAE officials and President Donald Trump this week, the White House said.
The new framework will “significantly increase the UAE’s existing investments in the U.S. economy” in AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and American manufacturing, a statement reads.
The official stated that the agreement came from a meeting Trump held on Tuesday with UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed in the Oval Office, as well as a dinner attended by Vice President JD Vance and several Cabinet members with the UAE delegation, which included heads of major UAE sovereign wealth funds and corporations.
Under the framework’s terms, the UAE investment fund ADQ, in partnership with U.S. firm Energy Capital Partners, announced a $25 billion initiative focused on the U.S. to invest in energy infrastructure and data centers.
XRG, the international investment arm of UAE state oil company ADNOC, also pledged to support U.S. natural gas production and exports by investing in the NextDecade liquefied natural gas export facility in Texas.
Emirates Global Aluminum plans to invest in the first new aluminum smelter in the U.S. in 35 years, which would nearly double US domestic aluminum production.
The companies have additional plans to invest significantly in U.S. assets in areas such as gas, chemicals, energy infrastructure, and low-carbon solutions.
The “secret offer” in question is reportedly some kind of membership of the British Commonwealth… President Trump seems amenable.
“It’s always a great meeting,” said Elon Musk, adding: “I’ve been here before you know.”
The Trump administration is asking for another shot to block a judge’s order reversing President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender service members. The judge is holding a last-minute hearing at 11 a.m.
Government attorneys accuse Judge Ana Reys of having “misconstrued” Pentagon policy banning trans troops. If the judge doesn’t dissolve the injunction, they want her to extend a pause on the order taking effect so they can appeal. Attorney General Pam Bondi is prepared to appeal, they wrote.
Previously:
Last night and this morning: The Trump administration told Judge James Boasberg that there are cabinet-level discussions about invoking a rarely used “state secrets” privilege to avoid answering the judge’s questions about the flights.
At 2:30 p.m. today, there is a hearing on the ACLU’s initial challenge to Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act that prompted the judge’s order to temporarily block the flights (and which the administration allegedly ignored).
On Monday, and appeals court will hear arguments to Trump’s challenge of the judge’s temporary restraining order.
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