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Musk’s team started by searching for cost-savings in federal government. Today they are DOGE the immigrant hunters

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What was first sold to the American people as a cost-cutting mission to “eliminate waste” and save taxpayer money, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has morphed into seeking immigration data, experts and campaigners say.

Musk’s so-called DOGE group has moved at breakneck speed since the billionaire first mused about it in August 2024, shortly after endorsing Donald Trump for president.

“I think it would be great to just have a government efficiency commission,” Musk pitched to Trump during the conversation on X Spaces last summer. Its aim, he said, would be to ensure taxpayer money is spent “in a good way.”

“And I’d be happy to help out on such a commission,” Musk offered.

Since then, DOGE has overseen some of the 280,000 layoffs across 27 government agencies and pursued immigration-related data across departments, including Housing and Urban Development, the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration.

Its latest data mining conquest is the Justice Department, where DOGE officials have accessed a sensitive system containing detailed information about immigrants’ interactions with the U.S. government.

Elon Musk’s DOGE is gathering highly sensitive data to build a ‘master database’ at the Department of Homeland Security that could be used to track and surveil undocumented immigrants, according to reports. (Getty Images)

The system, the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s Courts and Appeals System, contains records dating to at least the 1990s on millions of legal and undocumented immigrants, including addresses, case histories, court testimony and confidential interviews from asylum seekers, the Washington Post first reported.

“The initial mission, as stated, was to cut waste and eliminate fraud and abuse,” Lisa Gilbert, co-president of consumer rights group Public Citizen, which is involved in several lawsuits against the Trump administration, told The Independent. “And very quickly it became clear that that was not their goal.”

“I don’t think anyone could have predicted the pace and destructive nature of Elon Musk–helmed, conflict-ridden, tech-bro-filled, density storming into the federal government,” Gibert added. “It’s been unprecedented and hugely damaging, and it will take a long time for the government to recover.”

Musk’s team is using the highly sensitive data it has gathered to build a “master database” at the Department of Homeland Security that could be used to “track and surveil” undocumented immigrants, WIRED reported last week.

Data sharing between government agencies is nothing new, but it has been limited to specific purposes. “DHS has had access to certain components of Department of Justice information through an interagency scheduling tool, which allowed border agents to pull court dates to put on charging documents, or evidence for deportation proceedings,” Kathleen Bush-Joseph, policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, explained.

“What seems to be new, if reporting is accurate, is [DOGE’s] access to information contained in the actual case files,” she told The Independent. Bush-Joseph emphasized the incredibly sensitive nature of the files, which in some cases will contain information to do with “terrible violence and persecution” that some immigrants have suffered.

Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has moved at breakneck speed since the billionaire first mused about it in August 2024, shortly after endorsing Donald Trump for president. It is not popular with voters, according to polling. (AP)

“The opaqueness of DOGE’s data efforts should give Americans pause because it is not simply about creating efficiency,” global security and cyber expert Nicholas Reese, an adjunct instructor at NYU’s School of Professional Studies Center for Global Affairs, added. “It is also about security and building trust because this is not nameless and faceless data.”

The Justice Department declined to comment when approached by The Independent. The White House and the Department of Homeland Security were also contacted for comment.

Gerald Connolly, ranking Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee, wrote to the Social Security Administration’s office of the inspector general last week about a whistleblower who told them that DOGE is building the “master database,” consisting of sensitive data.

The Committee “received reports about troubling, fumbling efforts by DOGE to combine sensitive information held by SSA, the IRS, HHS, and other agencies into a single cross-agency master database,” Connolly’s letter said. “I am concerned that DOGE is moving personal information across agencies without the notification required under the Privacy Act or related laws, such that the American people are wholly unaware their data is being manipulated in this way.”

A senior Homeland Security official, meanwhile, told WIRED that DOGE is “trying to amass a huge amount of data” and “it has nothing to do with finding fraud or wasteful spending.”

Connolly told The Independent that the way in which DOGE is operating, particularly with accessing immigration data, is deeply “alarming.”

Musk said he will be taking a step back from the White House and tending to his electric bar business following Tesla’s plummeting sales. But the damage is done, campaigners said. (AFP/Getty)

“The Trump-Musk Administration is infiltrating agencies and weaponizing the information they steal to target and attack America’s immigrant communities,” Connolly said. “DOGE’s dystopian demand for the sensitive, personal data of millions of Americans and immigrants is alarming, especially as this Administration abducts and disappears people off our streets without due process — including immigrants with legal status — and in light of President Trump’s chilling admission that he plans to target American citizens, or ‘home growns,’ next.”

Gabe Lezra, policy and advocacy director at State Democracy Defenders Action, told The Independent that what’s happening “should horrify every American.”

“The Trump–Musk regime sold DOGE to the American people as a way to cut costs and streamline government. What they actually created was Big Brother,” Lezra said. “This isn’t just about giving bad actors in our own government access to deeply personal data – like your party registration, charitable givings, medical history, citizenship status, and financial records. It’s also because we cannot have confidence that DOGE can keep this database safe–particularly because malicious foreign actors will immediately make this database their number one target,” he added.

DOGE claims it has saved American taxpayers $160 billion so far, but figures on its website has been dogged by mistakes. Chaos has followed the newly-formed team headed by Musk as DOGE dismantled and shuttered agencies across the federal government. The billionaire at one point was so hands on that he mandated federal employees email the Office of Personnel Management five accomplishments every week as a “pulse check.” Some agency heads ignored him.

Now DOGE is turning its attention to the administration’s deportation efforts as Trump continues to push his sweeping anti-immigration agenda. But Musk’s involvement in the efforts appears to be slowing down as he announced plans to step back next week because of his stumbling Tesla revenue.

The future of DOGE is in doubt as Musk’s role is reduced, but experts, but critics said the damage is done.

“Even if Musk is here less, Musk-ism is still with us,” Gilbert said. “Policies and practices that they’ve put in place will continue.”

April 26, 2025
What is a Jesuit? Francis was the first Jesuit pope.

The Society of Jesus is a Roman Catholic order founded in 1540 by Saint Ignatius of Loyola committed to spirituality and social action.

Pope Francis, the Catholic Church’s 266th pontiff, was the first Jesuit to lead the church in its nearly 2,000-year history.

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, died April 21 at age 88. He was the first pope to come from the Americas, a distinction he touted during his opening address upon becoming the leader of the church and its billion-plus followers.

More than 200,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square April 26 to honor the late pope at a funeral service and procession, according to Vatican News.

Fr. Arturo Sosa, S.J., Jesuit Superior General, said Francis consistently aimed to turn God’s will into action in order to promote “the transformation of humanity to make this world a worthy home for all human beings,” Vatican News reported.

Are Jesuits Catholic?

The Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic order founded in 1540 by Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

According to the Jesuits’ website, the Jesuits consist of 14,000-plus priests, brothers, scholastics and novices worldwide, making it one of the church’s largest male religious orders, though the number of Jesuits globally has steadily decreased since the 1960s, when there were more than 36,000.

Ignatius was a Spanish soldier whose leg was shattered by a cannonball as he fought to defend a castle in Pamplona against a French siege, as recounted by Jesuit-founded Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

During his recovery, Ignatius experienced a spiritual conversion after reading about the lives of Jesus Christ and the saints, the only books available in the castle library. Inspired to serve the poor, he began to compile his thoughts and methods in a document that would ultimately become the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. The handbook sets guidelines for meditation, self-awareness and prayer.

According to the university, Ignatius embraced education “as one of the most important ways of promoting ‘the betterment of souls.’” Even before Georgetown’s founding in 1789, the Jesuits ran more than 800 universities, seminaries and secondary schools worldwide, serving many students who otherwise lacked access to a formal education.

What does it mean to be Jesuit today?

That mission continues today. Men entering the Society of Jesus “pursue a decade-long course of studies and spiritual formation before being ordained to the priesthood.”

The Jesuit Schools Network of North America works with 91 secondary and pre-secondary schools throughout the U.S., Canada, Belize and Micronesia. While the schools are principally Catholic institutions, they aren’t meant to ready young people for the clergy as much as they are for lives of service beyond the church.

Jesuits strive to be “contemplatives in action,” turning their spirituality into action, and are known for their efforts to promote global justice, peace and dialogue.

The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities lists 27 member schools in the U.S., including Georgetown, Gonzaga University, Boston College, Saint Louis University, Fordham University and the College of the Holy Cross.

April 26, 2025
Elon Musk’s Trump gamble is costing him bigly

With Telsa profits plummeting and Musk’s own net worth down nearly $200 billion, the full cost of his gamble on Trump is coming into focus.

April 26, 2025
Iran ‘extremely cautious’ about success of nuclear talks with the US | Nuclear Weapons News

Iran and the United States have agreed to continue nuclear talks next week, both sides said, as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was “extremely cautious” about the potential success of the negotiations aimed at resolving a decades-long nuclear standoff.

US President Donald Trump has seemed confident in reaching a new pact with Iran that would guarantee Tehran does not make a nuclear bomb.

On Saturday, Araghchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff held a third round of indirect talks in Oman’s capital, Muscat, through Omani mediators for about six hours. This comes a week after a second round in Rome that both sides described as constructive.

“The negotiations are extremely serious and technical … there are still differences, both on major issues and details,” Araghchi told Iranian state TV.

“There is seriousness and determination on both sides … However, our optimism about the success of the talks remains extremely cautious.”

A senior US administration official described the talks as positive and productive, adding that both sides agreed to meet again in Europe “soon”.

“There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal,” the official added.

Earlier, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said talks would continue next week, with another “high-level meeting” provisionally scheduled for May 3. Araghchi said Oman would announce the venue.

An Iranian official briefed about the talks told the Reuters news agency earlier that the expert-level negotiations were “difficult, complicated and serious”.

The only aim of these talks, Araghchi said, was “to build confidence about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief”.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told state TV that the country’s defence and missile programmes were not being discussed during the negotiations in Oman.

“The question of defence capacities and the country’s missiles is not [on the agenda] and has not been raised in the indirect talks with the United States,” Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday.

Speaking earlier on board Air Force One, en route to Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis, Trump also expressed cautious optimism.

“The Iran situation is coming out very well,” he said. “We have had a lot of talks with them, and I think we are going to have a deal. I would much rather have a deal than the other alternative.”

But Trump also repeated threats, stressing that military options remained on the table if diplomacy failed, saying: “There are some people that want to make a different kind of a deal, a much nastier deal, and I don’t want that to happen to Iran if we can avoid it.”

Tensions have remained high since Trump withdrew from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers in 2018, prompting a series of escalations. Iran has since abandoned all limits on its nuclear programme, and enriches uranium to up to 60 percent purity – near weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.

Western countries, including the US, have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran has consistently denied, insisting that its programme is for peaceful civilian purposes.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week that Iran would have to entirely stop enriching uranium under a deal, and import any enriched uranium it needed to fuel its sole functioning atomic energy plant, Bushehr.

Tehran is willing to negotiate some curbs on its nuclear work in return for the lifting of sanctions, according to Iranian officials, but ending its enrichment programme or surrendering its enriched uranium stockpile are among “Iran’s red lines that could not be compromised” in the talks.

European states have suggested to US negotiators that a comprehensive deal should include limits preventing Iran from acquiring or finalising the capacity to put a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile, several European diplomats said.

But Tehran insists its defence capabilities, like its missile programme, are non-negotiable.

April 26, 2025
Pope Francis funeral live updates: Thousands say farewell

Pope Francis, the humble pontiff whose acts of inclusiveness, modesty and mercy rippled through his 12-year papacy, was laid to rest Saturday in a service he deliberately simplified.

Tens of thousands of mourners and dozens of world leaders and dignitaries packed St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for the funeral, which got underway in bright sunshine and was being held mostly outdoors.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 91, who was presiding over the service, lauded Francis in his homily as “a pope among the people, with an open heart toward everyone.”

“He established direct contact with individuals and peoples, eager to be close to everyone, with a marked attention to those in difficulty, giving himself without measure, especially to the marginalized,” he said.

Pope Francis’ casket met by thousands of mourners

Pope Francis’ casket was met by thousands of mourners in honor of his 12-year papacy.

The Mass began with readings from the Scripture after Francis’ simple wooden coffin, adorned by a large cross, was carried into the square by white-gloved pallbearers. Applause echoed through the crowd as bells tolled.

Some mourners had camped out overnight to secure a spot. “We have been waiting all night,” Maria Fierro of Spain said. “Accompanying (Francis) in his last moments is very emotional.”

James Mary, a Franciscan nun, said she had been “up the whole night. We want to say goodbye because he (was a) living saint, very humble and simple.”

Francis, the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, died Easter Monday at 88 from a stroke, weeks after battling back from respiratory ailments. On Easter Sunday, the frail but resolute pope − who championed the poor and marginalized and was often called “the people’s pope” − thrilled crowds with an impromptu popemobile outing into St. Peter’s Square.

The Argentine pope, who contended with Catholic Church traditionalists opposed to his reforms, was known for his warm demeanor and for spurning any kind of grandeur: Living at a guesthouse in the Vatican, taking public transportation, wearing plain white cassocks. On his U.S. trip in 2015, he zipped around the nation’s capital in a small black Fiat.

Francis, who scaled back rules for papal funeral rites a year ago, made sure his own service and burial reflected that same message of simplicity − breaking from tradition even in death.

Pope Francis‘ funeral service is expected to take 90 minutes, compared to John Paul’s service in 2005 that last lasted three hours.

In his final testament, Francis asked to be buried inside the burial niche between Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani and Sforza Chapel, which are located within the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome instead of in the Grotto at St. Peter’s Basilica. He is the first pope being laid to rest outside the Vatican in almost a century.

The pope, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, also requested a “simple” burial: “The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, and bearing only the inscription: Franciscus,” he instructed.

St. Mary Major was special to Francis because of his devotion to Mary, Mother of God. He prayed there before and after many overseas trips.

President Donald Trump had a brief “private” meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the funeral, White House communications director Steve Cheung said.

Cheung said the two leaders had a “very productive” conversation and that further details of the meeting would be made public in the coming hours.

It was the first meeting since Trump and Zelenskyy had a fiery clash in the Oval Office in February about how to reach a peace settlement with Russia over their war.

The order of service was published by the Vatican on its website.

It is 87 pages long and contains the service in English, Italian and Latin.

The Entrance Antiphon begins: “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.”

Pope Francis’ coffin also breaks with papal tradition. Instead of being buried in three coffins − each made of cypress, lead and elm and placed inside the other − his coffin will be wooden and lined with zinc.

The coffin is shaped like a tapered hexagonal box. It it wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, resembling a human body.

− George Petras, Janet Loehrke

The security operation in and around Vatican City is in full swing.

The funeral has brought together dozens of world leaders and thousands of people from around the world who traveled to Rome to pay their respects.

About 2,000 local police officers are on duty at Pope’ Francis’ funeral. They are joined by thousands more officers from the national security forces. Security measures include patrols on the Tiber, drones and snipers.

Streets were closed to traffic around the Vatican on Saturday. Authorities also announced a no-fly zone over Rome for the week.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re spoke in his homily of the pope’s constant call to “build bridges, not walls” between people. The pope held a Mass on the U.S.-Mexico border to highlight what he described as the “human tragedy” of “forced migration” when he visited the area in 2016.

The cardinal also recalled that Franics’ first ever foreign trip as pope was when he went to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a key spot in Europe’s refugees and migrants crisis.

Francis met with refugees and migrants in Lampedusa.

Dozens of world leaders and heads of state are now in Rome. Some of them have clashed with both the pope and each other.

Pope Francis once said that President Donald Trump’s plans to impose mass deportations of immigrants were a “disgrace.” Before taking their seats, Trump and his wife Melania paid their respects to Francis’ coffin in St. Peter’s Basilica. The coffin was sealed shut on Friday night.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not had any easy time navigating Trump’s attempts to secure a peace deal for the Ukraine-Russia war. The two leaders clashed in an Oval Office meeting in late February. The two leaders briefly met before the service. Former President Joe Biden and wife Jill are also in Rome.

One notable absence is Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who portrays himself as a main of serious faith. Putin is subject to an international criminal court arrest warrant over his invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin said he wouldn’t be attending.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, 91, dean of the College of Cardinals, will preside over the funeral Mass, which will be celebrated by patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests from around the world, the Vatican said.

The College of Cardinals decides who will be the next pope in a highly secretive ritual called a papal conclave. As dean, Re is one of the most senior figures in the church. He has spent five decades serving in the Roman curia, the church’s various administrative institutions.

In a biography on the College of Cardinals website, Re is described as having an “affable manner and efficient approach to issues and conflicts.”

Pope Francis’ simple tomb, inscribed with just “Franciscus” and a reproduction of his pectoral cross, is made of marble from Italy’s Liguria region, where Francis traces his family’s origins before they settled in his native Argentina, according to Vatican News.

Francis requested to be buried in a tomb made from Ligurian stone. The plaque of slate, described as a “fine-grained gray, green or bluish metamorphic rock,” commemorates Francis’ great-grandfather, Vincenzo Sivori, on his mother’s side, the news website said.

Franca Garbaino, president of the Slate District in Liguria, said it was “not a noble stone,” but instead it was “the people’s stone” that “gives warmth.”

Francis’ family traces back to Cogorno, located southeast of Genoa, the capital of Liguria.

− Eduardo Cuevas

The Swiss Guard has been protecting popes since the 1500s. Members have a ceremonial role but also a protective one and, to an extent, they are mercenaries. They wear distinctive uniforms with feathered helmets, ruffled collars and puffed-out sleeves.

They are sometimes referred to as the world’s smallest army and are trained to an elite level in counterintelligence, close-quarters combat and bomb disposal. They are independent of Switzerland’s army, though they are trained in Switzerland.

Competition to be a Swiss Guard is intense. There are only 135 of them.

The weather has been spectacular all week in Vatican City, and conditions for the funeral also look terrific, forecasters said.

“It should a nice and calm day,” AccuWeather meteorologist Jacob Hinson told USA TODAY. He said sunny to partly cloudy skies are expected, with highs in the 70s.

Wind should not be an issue either, he added, with gusts of only 6-10 mph in the forecast.

− Doyle Rice

About 250,000 people bid farewell to Francis through this week as the pope was lying in state at St. Peter’s. Lines stretched more than half a mile north of the Vatican, and some people reported waits of about three hours to get inside the basilica.

“He was a wonderful pope,” Alessandra Caccamo of Rome said as she waited outside the Vatican. “I’m going to miss him so much, because it’s like I’ve lost a piece of me.”

Rachel Mckay, from Britain, said Francis was “somebody who made the church very accessible to everybody and inclusive to everybody. He’s like a member of the family, somebody very close to our hearts.”

Pope is a global icon: Fascination with papacy’s rituals take center stage

A conclave to choose a new pope normally takes place 15 to 20 days after the death of a pontiff, meaning it should not start before May 6. As of this week, there were 252 cardinals, of whom 135 are electors, according to the Vatican. Cardinals over the age of 80 are excluded from voting.

In medieval times, cardinals could take years to elect a new pope. Conclaves are much shorter now. Pope Francis was elected the day after the conclave began in 2013.

Voting takes place in a series of rounds until a clear winner emerges.

The world is waiting with bated breadth to find out who the next pontiff will be. Several names have emerged as possible front-runners, including bishops from Canada and the Philippines. Pope Francis was the first non-European pope elected in 1,300 years.

Contributing: Reuters

April 26, 2025
Why the shouting match between Bessent and Elon Musk is revealing

The Musk-Bessent tension boils over

This week Axios reported on an alleged “shouting match” between Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over who should lead the IRS. Yes, The New York Times had already flagged the power struggle — but Marc Caputo’s sources told him the argument escalated to a “chest-to-chest” clash that was loud enough to be heard by the Italian prime minister, who was visiting the White House. (MSNBC has not confirmed Caputo’s reporting.)

Now let’s be clear: Shouting matches do happen in the White House. But not usually so close to the Oval Office. And certainly not within earshot of a foreign dignitary.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt deferred when asked about the alleged incident. Leavitt referred Axios to a previous statement, noting that “Disagreements are a normal part of any healthy policy process.”

But what’s more shocking about this alleged blow-up isn’t what happened, but what they appear to have been fighting over. The IRS is an agency which has historically been apolitical, focused on doing the business of tax returns. But the Trump administration has already gone through multiple acting IRS commissioners in its bid to control the agency. The invasive nature of Musk and the DOGE posse’s pursuit of personal data also seems to have played a role here.

Musk may be on his way out the door, but my concern is less who he is shouting at and more what he is shouting about.

A race to watch: An Illinois U.S. Senate seat

There’s big change coming to the U.S. Senate: Sen. Dick Durbin, the longtime Illinois Democrat and current minority whip, announced he won’t run for reelection in 2026. After over 40 years in Congress — championing immigration reform, fighting Big Tobacco, and shaping the federal judiciary — Durbin says it’s time to “face reality” and make way for someone new.

Durbin’s retirement means Illinois will have a rare open Senate race — and likely a fierce Democratic primary. Already in the mix: Reps. Lauren Underwood, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Robin Kelly, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, and state Sen. Robert Peters.

But this is more than just a personnel change. As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Durbin has been one of the loudest Senate voices pushing back against President Donald Trump’s attacks on the judiciary. His departure leaves a major opening for a new committee leader — with current potential successors including Sens. Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Sheldon Whitehouse.

And beyond Capitol Hill, this race could offer an early look at where Democratic voters are headed. Just as the Tea Party wave transformed Republican primaries in 2010 and 2012, the Illinois primary may reveal what kind of message — and what kind of messenger — resonates with the party’s base heading into next year’s midterms.

Newsletter 100: Announcing “The Briefing with Jen Psaki”

You may have heard the news, but I’m thrilled to share that starting May 6, I’ll be stepping into MSNBC’s 9 p.m. hour Tuesday through Friday with a brand-new show: “The Briefing with Jen Psaki.”

Thanks so much to everyone who’s come along for the ride with “Inside with Jen Psaki.” I can’t wait for you to join us for “The Briefing” next month.

Sadly this will also be the last edition of this newsletter. But stay tuned for details of what we’re planning next.

April 26, 2025
How to trust environmental news in the world of AI

Serenity Reynolds
| Special for the Arizona Republic

The rise of artificial intelligence is making it harder for journalists to convey complicated science news about the environment, said panelists at the annual 2025 Society of Environmental Journalism conference in Tempe.

And readers of that news stand to lose the most from AI, said Panayiotis Moutis, Assistant Professor of the City College of New York.

As AI becomes more human-like, it’s becoming harder to differentiate the wording or images of a robot from those of a real person. AI programs lack the creative thinking of a human brain, leaving readers feeling they’ve read it all before. They click away.

Who are the winners in the AI revolution?

ASU Professor Punya Mishra said the winners of the AI revolution are software developers and powerful companies.

Jay Barchas-Lichtenstein, senior research manager for the global Center for News, Technology and Innovation, agreed.

Not only are the companies becoming wealthier as these systems are being invented, but they are also using the public input as a sort of “trial test-run” to constantly improve on these systems to be better, Barchas-Lichtenstein said.

Can journalists use AI and is the public okay with it?

Barchas-Lichtenstein conducted an international public survey in 2024 asking journalists if they use AI in their current work, and if so, for what.

At least one in three of the public responders said they use AI technology and accept journalists doing the same.

In 2024, two-thirds said they use AI to translate content from another language, and 60% said they use AI to summarize or analyze documents or data.

But only 39% said they use AI to write story drafts.

Over 70% of the public said they were okay with journalists using AI. The biggest issue was with image creation and editing. As 43% of journalists said they’ve used AI to edit an image, less than 50% of the public said they were comfortable with that.

When can a journalist use AI effectively and ethically?

Mishra said that AI should never be used as a substitute for their own research or in place of their original writing.

“Use AI when accuracy doesn’t matter,” said Mishra.

Serenity Reynolds is a junior studying journalism at Arizona State University and is part of a student newsroom led by The Arizona Republic.

Coverage of the Society of Environmental Journalists conference is supported by Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism, the University of Arizona and the Arizona Media Association.

These stories are published open-source for other news outlets and organizations to share and republish, with credit and links to azcentral.com.

April 26, 2025
Musk leaves Trump for Tesla’s sake. He deserves our thanks

Elon Musk, at great personal and professional cost, has devoted his time to finding ways to cut through the bureaucracy and downsize government where it makes sense.

Billionaire Elon Musk says he will spend a lot less time hanging out with President Donald Trump starting in May. And it’s probably time.

Musk’s big personality and nontraditional family life have become a distraction to his work heading DOGE, the government efficiency project he’s led since the beginning of Trump’s term.

What I fear, though, is that Democrats will notch Musk’s retreat as a “win.”

And that could set a seriously bad precedent.

Liberals who are appalled that Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is anywhere close to the halls of government power have not handled it well, to put it mildly. That’s despite the fact Trump ran on downsizing the bureaucracy and has simply followed through on that promise.

Democratic politicians have held overwrought rallies outside agencies in Washington, D.C., essentially rooting for the status quo of unsustainable spending.

Worse, leftists who aren’t content with peaceful protests have turned to outright violence, vandalizing Teslas and dealerships around the country to prove their “outrage.”

Opinion: Torching Teslas? Climate-loving liberals driven crazy by Trump harm their cause.

It’s gotten so bad the FBI in March had to launch a task force to investigate the attacks, which it considers to be domestic terrorism. At least 80 cases of arson or other vandalism of Teslas have been reported since Musk took his post.

Tim Walz makes fun of Musk. And one of his state employees keys six Teslas.

Let me give you a couple of examples of the rhetoric and violence and their possible connection.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz – and recent Democratic vice presidential nominee – has taken to making fun of Musk and his company’s challenges. Tesla’s stock price has fallen sharply, given the vandalism and the backlash to Musk’s involvement with DOGE. And for some reason, Walz thinks it’s humorous to see an American company struggle.

Musk responded by calling Walz, who appears to have 2028 presidential aspirations, a “huge jerk.” He has a point.

Last week, a Minnesota state government employee, Dylan Adams, was arrested for allegedly keying six Teslas, causing at least $21,000 in damages.

Was he encouraged by the rhetoric of his top boss, Walz, or other Democrats? Who knows. But something motivated him to act out in violence.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like Adams will have to face serious punishment for what he did. The prosecutor in the case says Adams will pay the victims for the damage incurred in lieu of criminal charges.

That seems irresponsible, given this was a politically motivated crime, and Adams should have known better as a “public servant.”

Opinion: New York Times compares Trump to Hitler. Media allows an ugly double standard.

Musk has risked Tesla’s health to help our country. We should thank him, not hate him.

Progressives no doubt feel they have achieved some sort of victory. Tesla stock has tanked, and Musk is winding down his work with DOGE.

Yet, the violence employed against innocent Tesla owners and dealers to get their way is alarming. And those who perpetrated it cannot be easily let off the hook.

Rather than our ire, Musk deserves our thanks. Musk, at great personal and professional cost, has devoted his time so far this year to finding ways to cut through the bureaucracy and downsize government where it makes sense.

During that time, Tesla sales have fallen (would you want to buy a car that could get firebombed?), as have Tesla’s first-quarter earnings, which showed a 71% drop in profit.

I don’t blame Musk one bit for wanting to turn attention back to his flagship electric cars and other endeavors. But Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for how this went down.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques

April 26, 2025
IDF used AI to kill Hamas terrorist, find hostages in Gaza – Defense News

The IDF’s Unit 8200 used artificial intelligence to eliminate a Hamas official and locate hostages in the Gaza Strip, three Israeli and US officials told The New York Times on Friday.

The New York Times reported that the military used AI tech to kill Ibrahim Biari, who was a Hamas commander based in northern Gaza. He assisted in planning the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Four Israeli officials said AI technology was immediately cleared for deployment after the attacks, the report added.

The report said that finding Biari was difficult for the IDF in the first few weeks of the war. The technology used to eliminate him was developed a decade ago, but was only utilized when he was struck by the IDF, shortly after Unit 8200 engineers implemented AI into the tech used to locate and strike him, officials said.

The AI technology was able to locate Biari by listening to his calls. The audio tool was also used by Israeli intelligence to locate hostages taken by the terrorist organization. Two Israeli officers quoted in the report said that the AI tool was refined over time to find hostages.

IDF soldiers operate in the Morag Corridor, in the southern Gaza Strip. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

The attack that killed Biari also killed 50 other terrorists, the IDF said in November 2023. This came after the Pentagon asked the military for “detail the thinking and process behind the strike,” to avoid more Gazan civilian casualties, an official told Politico.

Regarding the AI technology, three people told The New York Times that many of these initiatives started as collaborations between Unit 8200 soldiers and IDF reservists who worked at tech companies such as Google and Microsoft. However, Google noted that “the work those employees do as reservists is not connected,” to the company.

Israel also used AI technology to monitor the reactions from the Arab world to then-Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah’s death.

AI technology in warfare raises ethical concerns

The report cited three US and Israeli officials who said that these AI technologies have sometimes led to the deaths of civilians as a result of mistaken identification.

Hadas Lorber, head of the Holon Institute of Technology’s Institute for Applied Research in Responsible AI, told the New York Times that the technology used “raises serious ethical questions.” Lorber was also a former senior director at the Israeli National Security Council.

The report also quoted an IDF Spokeswoman who said that the military “is committed to the lawful and responsible use of data technology tools.”

Reports of IDF using AI last year

Further reports of the IDF using AI were covered by the Washington Post late last December, where the source said that the military used artificial intelligence to rapidly refill their “target bank,” a list of Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists to be killed during military operations, along with details about their whereabouts and routines.

Like in the recent New York Times report, there were also ethical concerns about using the technology. The December report noted that there was a debate within the IDF’s senior echelons about the quality of intelligence gathered by AI, and whether focusing on AI weakened the military’s intel capabilities.

The military’s Unit 8200, also known as its Military Intelligence Directorate, supplies the army and the state with any warnings and alerts to protect the country from terrorist threats.

April 26, 2025
Stocks close higher on rosier trade war sentiment, Tesla surges.
U.S. stocks closed higher after a mixed start to the day as China appeared to back off some of its tariff demands and amid a string of earnings reports, including stronger-than-expected results from Google parent Alphabet.
The blue-chip Dow added 0.05%, or 20.10 points, to 40,113.50, and the broad S&P 500 gained 0.7%, or 40.44 points, to close at 5,525.21. The tech-laden Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.3%, or 216.90 points, to reach 17,382.94. All three indexes closed the week higher.

The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield fell to 4.266%. Gold, which has surged to multiple records in recent weeks because of its status as a safe haven and a hedge against a declining U.S. dollar, slipped 1.5%.

On Friday, media reports emerged that China was easing tariffs on some U.S. semiconductors, along with certain U.S. pharmaceuticals. Bloomberg reported that Beijing is also considering tariff relief on medical gear and chemicals.

Throughout the day, the White House and Beijing traded public jabs over whether talks were taking place. President Donald Trump said “200 deals” on trade will be announced “over the next three to four weeks” and that talks with China continue. He also told reporters that the U.S. was “very close” to a deal with Japan.

Corporate news

Tesla shares closed 9.8% higher after the Transportation Department released new rules on self-driving cars. The stock is still down almost 30% so far this year, however.

Google parent Alphabet’s results from the first three months of the year topped analysts’ expectations. Shares gained 1.6%.

Intel issued disappointing guidance for the current quarter and said it’s planning to cut its operational and capital expenses. It said it sees a probability for a recession due to tariffs. Shares lost nearly 7%.

T-Mobile added fewer wireless subscribers than expected in the first quarter. Shares of the wireless company slid more than 11%.

Gilead Sciences reported weaker-than-expected sales in the first three months of the year even as earnings beat forecasts. The stock lost nearly 3%.

Skechers withdrew its full-year guidance due to economic uncertainty from global trade policies. The sneaker maker fell 5.4%.

Facebook-parent Meta Platforms cut staff in its Reality Labs division, CNBC reported. The stock rose 2.7%.

Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin supporters are lobbying the Swiss National Bank to hold bitcoin in its reserves, Reuters reported.

“Holding bitcoin makes more sense as the world shifts towards a multipolar order, where the dollar and the euro are weakening,” Luzius Meisser, a board member of cryptocurrency broker Bitcoin Suisse and supporter of the referendum, said in the report.

Bitcoin was last up 1.7% at $95,124.

Economic news

Consumer sentiment was at the lowest since 2022, which marked the peak of the post-pandemic inflation spike, in the second April reading from the University of Michigan. “Consumers perceived risks to multiple aspects of the economy, in large part due to ongoing uncertainty around trade policy and the potential for a resurgence of inflation looming ahead,” the Michigan researchers wrote.

The story was updated with new information.

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@usatoday.com and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.
April 26, 2025