International
Elon Musk is a “special government employee” of Trump, according to the White House
Billionaire Elon Musk, who has deployed a team to access internal systems of the Treasury or the Usaid agency, is a “special government employee” and is operating in accordance with the law, according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, said on Monday.
“I can confirm that (Musk) is a special government employee and that he is complying with all applicable federal laws,” the spokeswoman explained on Monday, although she could not confirm if the tycoon, who does not hold a position in Donald Trump’s cabinet, has obtained a security permit to access sensitive data.
Musk has deployed a team of several young people, who report directly to him, and who during the weekend have accessed payment systems of the Treasury Department and servers of the US Cooperation Agency (Usaid), exposing in some cases transfers that the tycoon has denounced as inappropriate.
According to the Department of Justice, a special government employee is “anyone who works or is expected to work for the Government for 130 days or less in a 365-day period.”
According to sources told CNN, Musk does not receive any salary from the Government for his services he performs as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In addition, according to the CBS network, Musk has an office in the west wing of the White House and, at times, has gone to it accompanied by one of his younger children.
Trump said today to questions from journalists in the Oval Office that Musk is acting in the right way and does not believe he has incurred any conflict of interest in his work of intervention and auditing federal expenses.
According to the president, Musk operates under his orders and “he cannot and will not do anything without our approval.”
Musk has deployed a team of six young engineers, which the tycoon joked in X who work without hours and at all hours, who have taken control of key points in the Treasury Department, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the General Services Administration (GSA).
In addition, these entries, which have sometimes forced this team to open sensitive federal services, have met with the opposition of officials who work in these institutions.
The United States humanitarian cooperation agency (Usaid) was the last scenario of this intervention by Musk’s team, with employees accused of “insubordination” by the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who has become the agency’s acting administrator.
Musk has said that Usaid, the world’s largest international cooperation agency, is a “criminal organization” and must be closed immediately.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
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