President Trump cast doubt on his current rapport with Elon Musk on Thursday, following harsh criticism from the billionaire entrepreneur aimed at the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The president’s remarks suggested that their previously strong bond might now be fractured.
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office ahead of a scheduled meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“He hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that’ll be next. But I’m very disappointed … I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
Since stepping down last week from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk has taken to X in a barrage of posts denouncing the Trump-supported bill. Over several days, he labeled the legislation “disgusting” and implored lawmakers to “kill the bill.”
Musk, who leads both Tesla and SpaceX, took issue with the Republican-backed plan over its projected impact on the national deficit and reportedly fumed over the elimination of electric vehicle tax credits that had been implemented under Biden’s administration.
“He’s not the first. People leave my administration and they love us and then at some point they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it and some of them actually become hostile. I don’t know what it is, it’s sort of Trump derangement syndrome, I guess they call it. … The glamor is gone, the whole world is different, and they become hostile,” Trump said of Musk.
“I’m very disappointed because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill,” the president added. “He never had a problem until right after he left.”
{Matzav.com}
A 21-year-old Israel Defense Forces commando left the front line in Gaza to donate life-saving bone marrow to a 5-year-old girl battling leukemia.
The soldier, identified as A., a resident of Kfar Tavor near Mount Tabor in the eastern Lower Galilee serving in the Golani Commando Unit (formerly known as the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion), was contacted by Hadassah University Medical Center in Yerushalayim’s Ein Kerem as he was about to leave the combat zone, Israeli outlet Channel 12 News reported on Thursday.
Years earlier, as he joined the army at the IDF’s induction center, he had submitted a saliva sample to Hadassah’s volunteer bone marrow donor registry. That sample led to his identification as a perfect genetic match for a young patient in need.
“I was sitting on the truck, packed and ready to head out of Gaza, when I got the call,” A. recalled. “The coordinator told me I could save a life. At first, I didn’t realize how big of a privilege this was.”
Though the process was initially delayed due to the recipient’s medical condition, A. was eventually located again—this time during another deployment in Gaza—after Hadassah staff tracked him down through his commanding officer. With permission from his battalion commander, he was pulled from the field and proceeded with the procedure in Yerushalayim.
The donation was performed via bone marrow extraction from the pelvic bone—a method requested due to the young age of the recipient.
The procedure, while slightly invasive, is safe and does not pose long-term risks to the donor, said Professor Reuven Or, director of Hadassah’s bone marrow registry.
“This donation can only happen because of the choice soldiers are given on enlistment day to join the registry,” said Eden Dahan, a Hadassah transplant coordinator. “We preserve those samples for years, and when a match is found—even during wartime—we reach out.”
A. is now recovering and feels immense pride. “There’s no better feeling than knowing I saved a life,” he said. “I hope the transplant succeeds. That’s what matters most.”
According to Hadassah registry director Ofra Elkobi, A. is one of many soldiers located during the war who have paused their duties to donate. “Israel’s younger generation is proving to be the generation of victory—not only in battle, but in saving lives,” she said. JNS
{Matzav.com Israel}
President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a long-awaited phone call on Thursday that centered almost exclusively on trade issues. Both sides agreed to arrange meetings between their respective teams, setting the stage for additional negotiations.
“I just concluded a very good phone call with President Xi, of China, discussing some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal,” Trump shared on Truth Social following the 90-minute discussion.
“There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products,” he continued, characterizing the conversation as ending on a positive note for both the United States and China.
One of the more difficult sticking points in the trade discussions had been China’s tight grip on rare earth elements. As previously reported by The Post, Beijing had been unwilling to relax its export limitations on these critical materials.
These rare earth resources, controlled in large part by China, are indispensable for manufacturing a range of advanced technologies, including smartphones, drones, and electric vehicles. The potential for Beijing to cut off exports had raised serious alarms over the impact such a move could have on U.S. national security and economic stability.
Just days earlier, Trump had expressed frustration over China’s handling of the agreement. “The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” he posted on Truth Social last Friday.
Despite that fiery criticism, the tone of the recent phone call appeared more conciliatory. According to Trump, Xi extended a personal invitation for him and his wife, Melania, to visit China — and the president responded with an invitation of his own.
Xi also invited Trump and his wife, Melania, to visit China, and the US president reciprocated the offer, he wrote.
“As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing,” Trump wrote of the prospective China visit.
“The conversation was focused almost entirely on TRADE. Nothing was discussed concerning Russia/Ukraine, or Iran.”
In an earlier exchange with a reporter inside the Oval Office, Trump had remarked that he planned to take a cooperative approach with China during talks, brushing aside any expectation that he would press the issue of COVID-19.
Although tensions over trade had been mounting for months, the two leaders had not engaged directly until now. This phone call marked a notable shift, with the potential for more substantial progress in the near future.
{Matzav.com}
President Biden insists that he was fully in control during his time in office and dismissed any claims that others were acting on his behalf through the use of an autopen. His defense came just hours after President Trump called for an official investigation into the matter.
Trump instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday to initiate a probe into the potential misuse of the autopen by Biden’s aides. He raised the possibility that they had taken advantage of Biden’s mental state to make significant decisions in his name.
“I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false,” Biden declared in a formal statement.
He also blasted the inquiry as a political ploy. “This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations.”
The controversy reignited after the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project released findings that revealed Biden had authorized numerous critical documents using an autopen, including presidential proclamations, clemency grants, and directives.
Trump wasted no time in using these revelations to question the authenticity of those actions, particularly focusing on the flurry of pardons issued in Biden’s final days in office.
This week, the White House verified that Ed Martin, the leader of a task force scrutinizing potential abuse of executive powers, is examining whether Biden was mentally capable at the time or if others exploited his condition through tools like the autopen.
At the same time, Republicans in the House, spearheaded by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, launched their own review. They have requested testimony from five individuals who previously worked closely with Biden to determine if there was an intentional effort to hide concerns over his mental state.
On Wednesday, Trump escalated the matter by formally initiating a deeper inquiry into the autopen controversy. This probe will be overseen by White House counsel David Warrington and coordinated with Attorney General Bondi.
“In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,” Trump wrote in a directive to Bondi.
“This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,” he warned. “The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.”
Presidents have relied on autopen machines dating back to at least Jefferson’s time, using them mostly for routine documents like seasonal greetings. The practice, as it’s currently known, became more prevalent during Truman’s presidency and has been common ever since.
Trump, however, cast doubt on the integrity of Biden’s use of the device, expressing concern that it might have enabled staffers to usurp presidential powers.
“Given clear indications that President Biden lacked the capacity to exercise his Presidential authority, if his advisors secretly used the mechanical signature pen to conceal this incapacity, while taking radical executive actions all in his name, that would constitute an unconstitutional wielding of the power of the Presidency, a circumstance that would have implications for the legality and validity of numerous executive actions undertaken in Biden’s name,” Trump stated in his memo.
The investigation is also expected to examine whether there were coordinated efforts by Biden’s aides to dismiss genuine footage of his mental lapses as manipulated or fake.
This controversy has resurfaced amid renewed scrutiny of Biden’s cognitive function, especially in the wake of Jake Tapper’s recently published book Original Sin, which delves into the mental condition of the 46th president throughout his administration.
{Matzav.com}Condoleezza Rice expressed serious concerns about Vladimir Putin’s escalating conduct, describing him as increasingly “out of control” and driven by a “desperate” desire to wipe out Ukraine.
Her remarks followed reports that Ukraine had struck the Kerch Bridge, a vital connection between Russia and Crimea, using underwater explosive devices in a bold assault.
Appearing on “Fox & Friends,” Rice characterized the strike as “extraordinary,” emphasizing that it reflects Ukraine’s ability to challenge Putin and hold him responsible for his aggressive actions.
“It shows a couple of things,” she explained to Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday. “First, the changing nature of warfare, that you can do this with relatively cheap drones… against the Russian strategic air fleet, which has cost billions and billions of dollars. Secondly, it shows that the Ukrainians are very advanced in what they are doing in their defense industry with the building of these drones and an employment strategy for them.”
Rice also highlighted the intelligence implications of the successful strike, suggesting it likely shook the Russian leader’s inner circle and trust.
“And third, it is an incredible intelligence coup,” she added. “Vladimir Putin is undoubtedly now wondering whether there was an inside job. You’re probably going to see a witch hunt in Russia as he tries to figure out who did this inside. So it just shows that just with a little bit of help, Ukrainians can make Vladimir Putin pay for his aggression.”
According to Ukraine’s Security Service, a large quantity of underwater explosives—estimated at 2,500 pounds—was detonated beneath the Kerch Bridge on Tuesday, putting the strategic route into what officials described as a “state of emergency.”
Video captured the explosion, which appeared to target a support column of the bridge. In the aftermath, images showed individuals examining the visible damage atop the structure.
This attack closely followed Ukraine’s “Operation Spider’s Web,” a coordinated wave of drone attacks deep inside Russia. The campaign reportedly disabled a significant number of high-value Russian military aircraft, including bombers and surveillance jets, at five separate air bases.
Reflecting on her time in government, Rice noted a stark transformation in Putin’s demeanor since her days as secretary of state during the George W. Bush administration. She pointed to a more unhinged intensity in his current campaign to destroy Ukraine.
“He seems to be more out of control than he used to be,” Rice said. “He was always a very controlled figure. Don’t get me wrong, he was never a Jeffersonian Democrat. He was always an autocrat. He was always an imperialist, but there is something about him now that seems almost more desperate in wanting to extinguish Ukraine.”
She stressed that President Donald Trump must send a clear message that Russia’s ambitions to subjugate Ukraine will not succeed—especially after another round of negotiations in Istanbul concluded without significant progress.
“I do think there’s a little part of Vladimir Putin that recognizes, particularly, that the energy infrastructure in Russia is degrading, and that he would be better off to stop this war,” she said.
“But it’s being overcome by that other Putin who still thinks he can extinguish Ukraine. And, you know, he needs the president more than the president needs him. And so, making very clear to him that he’s not going to get his maximalist claims is extremely important at this point.”
{Matzav.com}
