That is an version of The Atlantic Every day, a e-newsletter that guides you thru the largest tales of the day, helps you uncover new concepts, and recommends the most effective in tradition. Join it right here.
Yesterday, a tantrum from the world’s richest individual swayed occasions in Congress. First, Elon Musk launched a blizzard of X posts denouncing a bipartisan spending invoice designed to maintain the federal government open. Calling the invoice “prison,” Musk threatened: “Any member of the Home or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending invoice deserves to be voted out in two years!”
Panic ensued among the many notoriously skittish congressional GOP, who rapidly bowed to their grasp’s voice. Musk, after all, will not be truly the president-elect. He obtained roughly zero p.c of the votes in final month’s election. However for a number of hours this week, Musk didn’t simply act as if he, and never Donald Trump, will quickly maintain the reins of presidency energy; the GOP additionally responded as if he’ll.
As Russell Berman famous in The Atlantic earlier right now, Republicans weren’t proud of the proposed model of the spending invoice, however Home Speaker Mike Johnson “believed that he may get sufficient Republicans to affix most Democrats in passing the invoice in time to avert a authorities shutdown.” It seems, although, that the individual he actually wanted to steer was Musk. “I used to be speaking with Elon final evening,” Johnson stated yesterday on Fox & Associates. “Elon, Vivek [Ramaswamy], and I are on a textual content chain collectively, and I used to be explaining to them the background of this.” The pleading and lobbying to the unelected billionaires went on for some time. Johnson added, “Vivek and I talked final evening [until] about virtually midnight … [He and Musk] perceive the state of affairs. They stated, ‘It’s not directed at you, Mr. Speaker, however we don’t just like the spending.’ And I stated, ‘Guess what, fellas? I don’t both.’”
Johnson’s try at appeasement failed. Inside hours, the pseudo president-elect had kneecapped Johnson. Trump and J. D. Vance weighed in yesterday afternoon, releasing a press release denouncing the spending invoice. The federal government was on the sting of a shutdown. As of this writing, Trump has praised a brand new, slimmed-down model of the spending invoice (as has Musk), opening the potential of averting that final result. However Musk’s place on the middle of this course of supplied us a preview of the political dynamics of the Musk-Trump-GOP period: razor-thin legislative margins, chaos, governing by way of social-media rant, and a Recreation of Thrones–fashion jockeying for energy between Musk and Trump.
Musk’s day of prolific posting was additionally a reminder of how little he comprehends concerning the U.S. authorities. His feverish 100-plus posts have been riddled with disinformation and false claims that exposed his lack of awareness of the fundamentals of budgeting. He acquired particulars improper about a congressional pay elevate and taxpayer funding of an NFL stadium in Washington, D.C. He pushed misinformation from a January 6 rioter who falsely claimed that the spending invoice would block Republican investigation of the January 6 Choose Committee. Musk exulted within the prospect of a whole authorities shutdown, posting {that a} shutdown “doesn’t truly shut down crucial capabilities.” Though it’s true that “important capabilities” would proceed (and that Social Safety checks would nonetheless exit), contra Musk, shutdowns are neither painless nor low-cost. Massive swaths of the federal government would certainly be compelled to close down, and authorities staff would see delayed paychecks.
Wherever the spending invoice lands, this week could mark one other dramatic shift in GOP politics. For years, as a sign of their dedication to fiscal prudence, conservative Republicans have opposed elevating the debt restrict. At the moment, although, after Musk had stolen a march on him, Trump referred to as for taking away the debt ceiling altogether (presumably as a result of he needs to clear the way in which for enormous tax cuts subsequent 12 months). That form of demand will pressure members of the Freedom Caucus to—as soon as once more—select between fiscal conservatism and their sycophantic loyalty to the incoming president. The newest model of the spending invoice, in response to Trump’s social-media posts, would droop the debt ceiling till January 2027.
In the meantime, the president-elect has to take care of the specter of Elon Musk. As Politico’s Jonathan Martin famous on X yesterday, Musk’s second brings with it a number of potential downsides for Trump: “The Elon danger right here is he’s not simply diverting consideration from Trump, he’s additionally threatening to ship him dangerous press if the gov’t shuts down.” This week, Musk solidified his affect over the methods of U.S. authorities, however the clock could also be ticking on Trump’s tolerance of that truth.
Associated:
Listed here are three new tales from The Atlantic:
At the moment’s Information
- Luigi Mangione, who’s accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, faces 4 federal counts, together with a cost of utilizing a firearm to commit homicide.
- The Georgia Court docket of Appeals disqualified Fulton County District Lawyer Fani Willis from prosecuting the Georgia election-interference case towards Donald Trump and his co-defendants.
- Dominique Pelicot and 50 different males have been discovered responsible in a mass-rape and drugging trial in France. Practically all of them have been convicted for rape or tried rape of Gisèle Pelicot, Dominique’s ex-wife.
Dispatches
Discover all of our newsletters right here.
Night Learn
The Luxurious Makeover of the Worst Pastry on Earth
By Ellen Cushing
On the web, there exists a $102 loaf of bread that folks discuss prefer it’s a drug. It’s a panettone—the fruitcake-adjacent yeasted bread that’s conventional to Italy, and to Christmastime—and it’s made by the California chef Roy Shvartzapel.
Extra From The Atlantic
Tradition Break
Learn. Ella Baxter’s bracing new novel, Woo Woo, explores why artistic genius so usually appears to be at odds with being individual.
Reminisce. Our picture editor collected photos of a number of the main information moments from the previous few months of 2024.
Stephanie Bai contributed to this text.
While you purchase a ebook utilizing a hyperlink on this e-newsletter, we obtain a fee. Thanks for supporting The Atlantic.
