US President-Elect Donald Trump has appointed Elon Musk, chief executive officer (CEO) of Tesla and SpaceX, to lead a soon-to-be-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk, owner of X, the microblogging platform previously known as Twitter, was an avid supporter of Trump during the electioneering leading up to the November 5 presidential election.

The former president defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris after securing more than 270 of the electoral college votes required to win the poll.

A statement on Tuesday said Musk would run DOGE alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, a politician and entrepreneur.

It said the duo “will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement’.

“I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans,” the statement quoted the president-elect as saying.

“Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending.”

Trump will take office for a second and final term on January 25, 2025.

A New York judge, Juan Merchan, has postponed the decision on Donald Trump’s sentencing in his high-profile hush-money case, delaying it until November 19.

This delay could extend the impact of the conviction into his upcoming administration.

This update, confirmed by a court statement on Tuesday, adds another layer of delay to Trump’s legal battle over alleged hush-money payments.

“The joint application for a stay of the current deadlines… until November 19, is granted,” the court said in an email seen by AFP.

The decision comes amid multiple delays in a case that could see Trump sentenced on 34 felony counts.

According to The Guardian, the delay reflects the Trump defence team’s numerous motions over the past year, each requesting more time or challenging aspects of the proceedings.

Protracted Legal Battle
The case originates from Trump’s April 2024 court appearance—the first time a former president has faced criminal charges.

As reported by PUNCH Online, Trump, 77, was accused of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign.

This hush-money case is just one of four criminal cases Trump is grappling with as he campaigns for the White House.

In May, a New York jury found him guilty on all counts in an unprecedented verdict that jolted U.S. political circles.

The case was adjourned to September and then delayed again.

This was the first conviction of a former president for business fraud, setting off waves across media outlets from PUNCH to CBS.

Trump’s team had anticipated that a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity might offer him a shield, leading Judge Juan Merchan to delay sentencing until September and, subsequently, November.

According to a statement released at the time by Biden’s campaign, the conviction underscored that “no one is above the law.”

Biden’s communications director, Michael Tyler, said, “Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain.”

Trump’s Legal Strategy
Trump’s defence argues that the payments to Daniels were legal expenses and that the claims of falsified business records violate neither state nor federal laws.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office disputes this, arguing that the payments were structured to bypass New York’s election laws, amounting to an illegal campaign contribution.

These funds, prosecutors allege, were intended to influence the election in Trump’s favour — a point highlighted by The New York Times.

The Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling, granting sitting presidents immunity for actions taken in office, added complexity to Trump’s case, as his defence team invoked this ruling to argue for dismissal.

As Merchan reviews these arguments, he has warned of the “fraught complexities” involved and emphasised a desire to prevent the legal proceedings from impacting the election.

Despite his legal battles, Trump won the November 5 election against Kamala Harris, buoyed by steady support among his base.

Yet, his win has stirred fresh complications for his other cases.
Special prosecutor Jack Smith is reportedly scaling down federal probes into Trump’s role in election interference and the classified documents case, which could be deferred.

Meanwhile, the Fulton County election interference case in Georgia has been put on hold following a new appeal, with prospects for prosecution uncertain due to recent revelations regarding District Attorney Fani Willis’s office.

As January 25, 2025, approaches—the date Trump is set to assume office as the 47th president—the implications of these pending cases remain unresolved.

In a tragic incident that shocked the Minnesota community, authorities have reported that a man who had posted anti-Trump and left-wing statements online fatally shot his wife, ex-partner, and two sons before taking his own life.

Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa confirmed that the shooter, identified as 46-year-old Anthony Nephew, had struggled with mental health issues over a period of time.

The bodies of five individuals were discovered Thursday afternoon in two homes located in Duluth.

Authorities initially found Nephew’s ex-partner, Erin Abramson, 47, and their son, Jacob Nephew, 15, dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside their residence.

Upon identifying Anthony Nephew as a suspect, police subsequently located his current wife, Kathryn Nephew, 45, and their 7-year-old son, Oliver Nephew, in a nearby home, both of whom had also been fatally shot.

Nephew was found in the same home, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police.

Before the tragic event, Nephew had used his Facebook account to share political and personal grievances, particularly against President Donald Trump.

In one post from July, he expressed distress, writing, “My mental health and the world can no longer peacefully coexist, and a lot of the reason is religion. I am terrified of religious zealots inflicting their misguided beliefs on me and my family. I have intrusive thoughts of being burned at the stake as a witch, or crucified on a burning cross.”

Nephew’s social media activity included concerns about religious extremism and political issues.

He voiced fear that people viewed him or his family as symbols of evil: “Having people actually believe that I or my child are Satan or, the anti-Christ or whatever their favorite color of boogie man they are afraid of this week,” he posted.

In another online statement, Nephew took aim at Republicans, accusing them of complicating efforts for women in abusive relationships to leave. “Gilead here we come,” he wrote, referencing The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel that portrays a society where women are stripped of their rights.

Other political posts included a graphic with former President Barack Obama, President Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris alongside former President Trump, with “hate” labeled under Trump’s image and “hope,” “heal,” and “grow” under the Democratic politicians.

Nephew commented, “Not that anyone cares, but as an Independent voter, I would really like to see both the political parties in our country pick better candidates. We can do better than a binary choice between fascism and not fascism.”