The Headlines - Musk’s Secretive Team Goes on TV, and RFK Jr. Hires a Vaccine Skeptic

Episode Date: March 28, 2025

Plus, what we didn’t know about sharks. On Today’s Episode: Musk and Aides Try Charm Offensive in Fox News Interview, by Tyler PagerForgoing Oversight, Republicans Resort to Personal Appeals to Head Off DOGE Cuts, by Maya C. MillerTop Senate Republican Protests Trump Bid to Withhold Spending, by Carl HulseKennedy Turns to a Discredited Vaccine Skeptic for Autism Study, by Christina Jewett, Emily Baumgaertner Nunn and Sheryl Gay StolbergGlobal Sea Ice Hits a New Low, by Austyn GaffneyA Shark Breaks Its Silence With Some Clicking Sounds, by Yan ZhuangTune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. 

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today is Friday, March 28th. Here's what we're covering. If we don't do this, we're sunk. Unless this exercise is successful, the ship of America will sink. That's why we're doing it. Last night, Elon Musk went on Fox News for an extended interview to defend the drastic

cuts he's been making to the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency. So we want to measure twice, if not thrice, and cut once. It was a kind of charm offensive meant to push back on widespread criticism of Doge's slash and burn approach, which has kicked off multiple lawsuits and caused chaos across many federal agencies. The effort has also been criticized for its secrecy. The full names of some Doge staffers have been closely guarded, even as they sweep through government offices.

So in the interview, Musk was joined by seven of his deputies, men who have until now largely stayed out of the spotlight. And they shared their vision for how they're hoping to reshape things. We really believe that the government can have an Apple Store-like experience. Beautifully designed, great user experience, modern systems. The billionaire entrepreneur Joe Gabbia was one of them. So was Steve Davis, Musk's longtime aide who worked with him at SpaceX. The team said they expect to be able to finish making most of their cuts in the next two months.

As they push forward with that aggressive effort, the Times has learned that some Republican lawmakers, who have celebrated Doge in public, have been scrambling behind the scenes to protect their districts from the cuts. In one example, when Representative Tom Cole learned that his Oklahoma district might lose a National Weather Center office and an outpost of the Social Security Administration, he and his aides started dialing up their contacts at Doge. Within a few days, they got a Doge staffer to reassure them that the offices would stay open. The episode underscores the direct access some GOP lawmakers are getting to Doge, Musk, and the White House more generally, while Democrats say their outreach about government

cuts has largely been met with silence. Meanwhile, in the Senate, a top Republican is denouncing another tactic the White House is using to try and slash funding. Susan Collins of Maine, who leads the Appropriations Committee, co-signed a letter accusing President Trump of illegally withholding money that Congress approved. Earlier this month, Congress passed a spending bill that included about $12 billion in emergency funding. But Trump said in a memo that only a portion of that included about $12 billion in emergency funding. But Trump said in a memo that only a portion of that will be spent because, quote, I do

not concur that the added spending is truly for emergency needs. Trump's blocking money that was designated for international disaster assistance and narcotics control, among other programs. He and his team claim he has the power to make that kind of decision. But Collins' letter rejected that, saying the president does he has the power to make that kind of decision, but Collins' letter rejected that, saying the president does not have the power to pick and choose what to fund from a package Congress passed. And on the Senate floor...

Right now, we have a couple of billionaires running our country straight into the ground who seem to have skipped American history. Patty Murray, a Democrat on the Appropriations Committee who co-signed the letter with Collins, called out Trump's move. And the basic fact that Congress has the power of the purse is something Republicans and Democrats agree on. And it won't change no matter what Trump or Elon Musk claim.

change no matter what Trump or Elon Musk claim. At the Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has hired a prominent figure in the anti-vaccine movement to look at the long-debunked theory that vaccines cause autism. David Geyer will serve as a senior data analyst at the department. He's published numerous articles trying to tie a preservative that has mercury in it and is used in some vaccines to autism. Kennedy has credited Guyer with shaping his views on the topic, but a review of Guyer's work determined it was marred by flaws and he was previously found to be practicing medicine without a license. Guyer's involvement in any government research has heightened concerns among public health experts

that Americans' confidence in vaccines will continue to erode, opening the door for otherwise preventable diseases to spread. There's an alarming new snapshot out of how the planet is warming. According to data released yesterday, the amount of sea ice on Earth is now at its lowest level ever recorded at this time of year. Scientists say the best way to understand just how much ice has gone missing compared to historic averages is to imagine that a sheet of ice as big as the entire U.S. east of the Mississippi has melted. And experts say that the loss of that ice, which is being accelerated by the burning of fossil fuels,

will have a number of profound environmental consequences. It will affect ocean currents and weather patterns, and the melting is also part of a dangerous feedback loop. As the white ice melts, it exposes more and more of the dark surface of the open ocean. That, in turn, absorbs more heat from the sun. The you think of sharks, turns out you should have been thinking more of this. That is the sound of a rig shark, and researchers believe it's the first time a shark's been recorded actively making noise. Until recently, sharks were thought to be the stoic silent type unable to make sound, while dolphins and whales were out there

chatting it up. But researchers observed 10 rig sharks in a tank with underwater microphones and heard them all make that clicking noise, most likely by snapping their teeth together. Scientists think the sharks make the sound when they're stressed or startled. One marine scientist said the discovery expands the growing field of research into how marine animals make and hear sound, something we humans have underestimated in the past, especially for sharks. So I guess you could say we're going to need a bigger microphone.

Get it? It's from Jaws. Okay. especially for sharks. So I guess you could say, we're gonna need a bigger microphone. Get it? It's from Jaws. Okay. Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, the Friday Politics Roundtable. Times reporters break down the fallout from the leak of military plans

in a group chat on Signal. That's next in the New York Times audio app, or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts. This show is made by Sarah Diamond, Will Jarvis, Jessica Metzger, Jan Stewart, and me, Tracy Mumford. Original theme by Dan Powell. Special thanks to Isabella Anderson, Larissa Anderson, Maria Byrne, Mahima Chablani, Jake Lucas, Zoe Murphy, Paula Schuman, and John Yoon. The headlines will be back on Monday.