Saturday, May 31

Elon Musk left the White House yesterday after completing his time as a special government employee, departing from his position as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.

The billionaire has worked closely with Trump over the last four months to cut costs for the United States government, leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to scrap various plans and eliminate multiple other departments.

Nevertheless, as a special government employee, he is only allowed to stay in the White House for 130 days, and that time expired on Wednesday. Before heading out, he stated that it will not be DOGE's final chapter, and he confirmed that the department's operations will continue without him.

Trump also applauded Musk's efforts in the organization after the announcement was made, and various government officials and representatives commended the progress that DOGE made and the significant spending cuts that were carried out under his watch. Trump even gave Musk a golden key to the White House yesterday to celebrate his service to the country as he departed.

However, numerous other organizations and officials have denounced DOGE's actions, which have led to the eradication of departments like USAID and the Department of Education. Labor unions and everyday workers have protested against the surprise terminations of thousands of employees at a time, and those firings are only expected to continue if a newly proposed $9.4 billion spending cuts bill passes through Congress.

Additionally, others have criticized how they have not met their promises, with supposedly extreme cuts adding up to have a minimal effect on the country's total spending. DOGE was proposed with a goal to cut government spending by over $2 trillion, and even though that goal was lowered to $1 trillion after Trump's inauguration, the organization's total efforts only saved around $175 billion-- not even 20% of their adjusted goal.

Fact of the Day (BBC): Protons look like peanuts, rugby balls, bagels, and spheres. Protons come in all different shapes and sizes, with their appearance changing based on the speed of smaller particles within them: quarks.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): As long as you give your best effort, I feel like that’s all you can do. (Kawhi Leonard)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Gust (noun, GUST) - Gust refers to a sudden strong wind. It is also used figuratively for a sudden outburst of something, such as a feeling.

In a Sentence: Today’s weather will be windy, with gusts of up to 40 miles per hour.