Expert said federal law bars officials from taking actions in their jobs that benefit their own financial interests A high-profile US defense department official who oversees the agency’s artificial intelligence efforts made a profit of up to $24m selling a private investment he held in Elon Musk’s AI company earlier this year, according to government ethics records released this month. The value of his stake totaled a maximum of a million dollars when he joined the department. Emil Michael, who is the Pentagon’s under secretary for research and engineering under the Trump administration, oversees negotiations with AI companies and has been pushing the defense department to rapidly increase the widespread use of AI. Michael declared in March 2025 that he had a position in xAI valued between $500,000 and $1m. He sold those holdings on 9 January for between $5m and $25m, according to disclosures filed with the office of government ethics (OGE). He reported that he owned the xAI shares through a company called KQ Partners. (Government financial disclosure reports are designed to show ranges of holdings, rather than precise amounts.) The increase in value amounts to a gain of between 4
Apr 9, 2026 → Apr 27, 2026
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Read original at The Verge →11 updates from 6 sources over 3 weeks.
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Read original at The Verge →Falklands War veteran Simon Weston has said he hopes King Charles III can convince US President Donald Trump to "back down" over reports the US could review its position on the UK's claim to the territory. Weston told…
Read original at BBC →In the latest example of Elon Musk betting his business empire’s future on the AI race, Tesla has quietly struck a deal to acquire a mystery AI hardware company for up to $2 billion. Electrek first reported that Tesla…
Read original at Gizmodo →Figures fail to significantly buoy stock as firm admits ‘significant effort and hard work’ needed to achieve goals Tesla reported its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, disclosing some better-than-expected results but…
Read original at The Guardian →Sullivan and Cromwell, the law firm representing President Trump in many of his cases and which handled the SpaceX and xAI merger, was just forced to apologize to a federal judge for filing documents full of fake case…
Read original at The Verge →Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests…
Read original at CNET →The company is apparently reversing course in its approach to military dealings. Google currently has a contract that allows the DOD to use Gemini for “all lawful purposes,” but only in unclassified settings. According…
Read original at The Verge →Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests…
Read original at CNET →Suit alleges the billionaireâs AI company is illegally spewing toxic pollutants from its datacenter in the Memphis area A new lawsuit accuses Elon Muskâs artificial intelligence company of illegally spewing toxic…
Read original at The Guardian →Elon Musk was ubiquitous in Washington last spring, wielding unprecedented power helping the Trump administration reshape and, in some cases, dismantle federal agencies across the government. But now, his legal…
Read original at CNN →Expert said federal law bars officials from taking actions in their jobs that benefit their own financial interests A high-profile US defense department official who oversees the agency’s artificial intelligence efforts…
Read original at The Guardian →What this story stands on. Tier 0 is a primary record or the subject's own words; higher tiers must be attributed, never stated as bare fact.
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View source →Falklands War veteran Simon Weston has said he hopes King Charles III can convince US President Donald Trump to "back down" over reports the US could review its position on the UK's claim to the territory. Weston told BBC Newsnight that…
View source →In the latest example of Elon Musk betting his business empire’s future on the AI race, Tesla has quietly struck a deal to acquire a mystery AI hardware company for up to $2 billion. Electrek first reported that Tesla disclosed the deal in…
View source →Figures fail to significantly buoy stock as firm admits ‘significant effort and hard work’ needed to achieve goals Tesla reported its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, disclosing some better-than-expected results but faltering in some…
View source →Sullivan and Cromwell, the law firm representing President Trump in many of his cases and which handled the SpaceX and xAI merger, was just forced to apologize to a federal judge for filing documents full of fake case citations…
View source →Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If…
View source →Tier key: T0 = Primary source · T1 = Wire · T2 = Outlet report · T3 = Commentary
Long-running fight over Trump-backed maps takes another turn as absentee voting is already under way in Missouri. This blog is now closed. Sign up for US Breaking News emails Xi…
This new task force is Trump's latest response to the debate over AI safety.
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As Bosnians vote in an election this weekend, the country is embracing the US president’s family and friends.
On Equity, we discussed the Trump administration's attempts to rebrand AI.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping discuss Taiwan arms sales every time they get together but the American stance on the self-ruled island remains unchanged following the Chinese…
