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Elon Musk and Marco Rubio Share Awkward Social Media Embrace After White House Confrontation

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Elon Musk and Marco Rubio Share Awkward Social Media Embrace After White House Confrontation

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Elon Musk, the tech billionaire deputized by President Trump to slash federal spending, sought to smooth over their ugly confrontation in the White House last week with an awkward social media embrace on Monday, as Mr. Rubio formalized deep cuts to foreign aid that Mr. Musk had demanded.

Mr. Rubio and Mr. Musk clashed during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House last Thursday, in which the world’s richest man jeered the secretary of state for failing to make more sweeping staffing cuts to the agencies under his purview. In the same meeting, Mr. Rubio bristled at how Mr. Musk had undercut his leadership to flatten the U.S. Agency for International Development, the government’s lead agency for distributing foreign aid.

On Monday, Mr. Rubio thanked Mr. Musk’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency for aiding in making the drastic cuts he had resisted, and announced that the agency’s remaining work would be subsumed under the State Department.

Mr. Rubio wrote on his personal account on X, the social media platform owned by Mr. Musk, that 83 percent of U.S.A.I.D.’s programs were being cut. “The 5200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some cases even harmed), the core national interests of the United States,” he added.

Mr. Musk replied: “Tough, but necessary. Good working with you.”

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During the meeting last week, Mr. Trump defended Mr. Rubio for doing a “great job” and decreed that Mr. Musk’s team would be merely advising Cabinet secretaries about future cuts. But Mr. Rubio’s apparent embrace of Mr. Musk’s objectives revealed the extent to which the billionaire Trump supporter wields power in the administration.

Mr. Rubio’s announcement appeared to be the official culmination of the process of culling foreign aid that had been underway for weeks, as Mr. Musk led the charge to greatly reduce the footprint of U.S.A.I.D., which manages about $42.5 billion in global assistance programs that represent less than 1 percent of the annual federal budget. The moves, which included canceling contracts, turning off payment systems, and laying off or forcing the vast majority of staff onto administrative leave, crippled the agency and left the global humanitarian aid industry that relied on the agency’s funding in limbo.

Mr. Trump had announced in an executive order on the first day of his presidency that he was instituting a 90-day pause on foreign aid, pending a review, to bring the United States’ foreign aid programs in line with his administration’s interests. But the cuts to U.S.A.I.D. prompted a series of lawsuits from the unions representing agency staff members and the organizations that were stiffed by the cuts.

One of those cases rose to the Supreme Court, which ruled last week that the administration had to comply with a lower court’s ruling to release the frozen funds — even though the Supreme Court did not specify exactly how much of the nearly $2 billion in contracts in question had to be restored.

The plaintiffs in several lawsuits, as well as other critics of the Trump administration’s maneuvers, have derided the moves as illegal, arguing that the law that created U.S.A.I.D. means that only Congress can significantly reduce its budget.

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They have also argued that the cuts are shortsighted, and will lead to widespread human suffering and ultimately hurt U.S. national security.

Among the affected projects are those that deal with food security and famine warnings, agricultural efficiency, women’s health, L.G.B.T.Q. communities, and civil society and energy in war-torn Ukraine, according to a list of the canceled contracts shared with members of Congress last week, copies of which were obtained by The New York Times.

In recent days, some health-related groups — many of which help distribute H.I.V. medication — have had their funding restored.

The Trump administration has said in court filings that its review of programs was complete, but several organizations recently received questionnaires asking them to justify how their contracts lined up with U.S. interests. Deadlines for responding were as late as March 17.

Robert Jimison and Stephanie Nolen contributed reporting.

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Chud the Builder, Known for Racist Confrontations, Charged With Attempted Murder

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Chud the Builder, Known for Racist Confrontations, Charged With Attempted Murder

A streamer known for hurling racist slurs in public settings under the nickname “Chud the Builder” was charged with attempted murder after a shooting outside a Tennessee courthouse on Wednesday, the authorities said.

The streamer, Dalton Eatherly, 28, was involved in a confrontation with an unidentified man that escalated to gunfire outside the Montgomery County Court in Clarksville, about 50 miles northwest of Nashville, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Both men sustained gunshot wounds and were in stable condition, the office said.

In addition to attempted murder, Mr. Eatherly was charged with employing a firearm during dangerous felony, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, the sheriff’s office said.

Mr. Eatherly, who is white, has accumulated an online audience by livestreaming confrontations in which he uses racist language toward Black people in public.

Law enforcement did not provide any details about the second man involved in Wednesday’s shooting. Mr. Eatherly posted an audio recording online of paramedics treating his wounds in which he claims he shot the man in self-defense.

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A video posted by the website Clarksville Now shows Mr. Eatherly on a stretcher with a microphone attached to his lapel.

Mr. Eatherly is being held at the Montgomery County Jail, pending arraignment, the sheriff’s office said.

According to court records, Mr. Eatherly was scheduled to appear for a court hearing on Wednesday morning in an unrelated case brought by Midland Credit Management, a collections agency.

A lawyer listed in court records from a separate harassment case in which Mr. Eatherly was a defendant in November did not respond to a request for comment.

On Sunday, three days before the shooting in Clarksville, Mr. Eatherly was arrested in Nashville. According to a police affidavit, Mr. Eatherly live streamed his meal at a restaurant, Bob’s Steak and Chop House, on Saturday even though the restaurant had asked him ahead of time not to do so.

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When he was confronted, Mr. Eatherly “became disruptive and started making racial statements, yelling, screaming and otherwise creating a scene,” according to the affidavit.

He then refused to pay for his $370 meal. Mr. Eatherly was charged with theft of services, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He was released on $5,000 bond.

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Suspect in murder of University of Washington student surrenders to police

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Suspect in murder of University of Washington student surrenders to police

Seattle police have arrested a suspect in the murder of a University of Washington student.

The student, a 19-year-old transgender woman, was found dead with stab wounds in a laundry room at the Nordheim Court Apartments – off-campus housing for UW students – Sunday night.

The arrest comes a day after the Seattle Police Department (SPD) released photos of a suspect described as armed and dangerous. SPD has not yet confirmed whether the man in the images is the suspect.

According to Seattle police Det. Brian Pritchard, a 31-year-old man turned himself in to Bellevue police before being transferred to SPD detectives.

The Bellevue Police Department said the man was arrested at 10:42 p.m. on Wednesday.

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The suspect was booked into the King County jail for investigation of murder.

RELATED | UW students raise security concerns after deadly stabbing, report prior break-in

Anyone with more information is asked to call the SPD violent crimes tip line at 206-233-5000. Anonymous tips are welcome.

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South Carolina Governor Plans Special Session to Redraw House Maps

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South Carolina Governor Plans Special Session to Redraw House Maps

Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina, a Republican, plans to call the state legislature back for a special session that will be focused on redrawing the state’s congressional maps, lawmakers said on Wednesday evening. The effort could eliminate the state’s sole Democratic district, held by Representative James E. Clyburn.

Mr. McMaster’s decision came one day after five Republican state senators voted with Democrats to block a resolution that would have brought the legislature back to the State Capitol to consider redistricting.

That vote had seemed to close the door on the matter. Republican lawmakers had considered an agreement to extend their session only when it became clear that Mr. McMaster would not immediately call a special session himself.

But Mr. McMaster, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits, now appears willing to thrust South Carolina into the redistricting battles that have reached fever intensity, particularly in the South, ever since the Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Voting Rights Act last month.

President Trump has been clear about his wish for a G.O.P. sweep of all seven of South Carolina’s congressional districts, pressing Republican officials to draw new district maps before the midterm elections.

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Mr. McMaster’s office declined to comment on Wednesday. Recently, he had said that he would let the Republican-controlled General Assembly decide the matter.

If Mr. McMaster calls the special session, lawmakers would face a time crunch. South Carolina’s primaries are on June 9, but early voting begins in two weeks, so Republicans would have to pass new maps before May 26.

The South Carolina House has proposed moving the congressional primaries to August to accommodate new maps.

There are also legal hurdles to consider. Hundreds of overseas voters have already cast ballots, which could prompt lawsuits if their votes are discarded to account for a change of date in congressional elections.

It is still unclear if new maps would pass in a special session, although Republicans control the legislature and would need only a simple majority to approve them.

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Davey Hiott, the Republican leader of the South Carolina House, told reporters that his chamber was ready to get things rolling on Friday morning and vote on a map as quickly as possible, ideally next week.

Shane Massey, the Republican leader of the State Senate, who drew national attention for his impassioned speech against redistricting, was much more apprehensive about moving fast. He said public input was important and continued to voice opposition to the redistricting effort.

“I haven’t heard anything that alleviates the concerns, not just for me but for other people that I’ve been talking to,” Mr. Massey said. “The concerns are there. If anything, they’re only heightened.”

He also noted that there were other pressing matters for the legislature to consider in the special session, such as finishing the budget.

Unlike their counterparts in states like Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana, some South Carolina Republicans have been much more lukewarm about the idea of mid-decade redistricting, mostly because they are skeptical that a new map would guarantee one more Republican-leaning congressional district. Instead, they fear that Democrats could be competitive in the newly created districts as Republican strength in some current districts is diluted.

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Mr. Massey said in the chamber on Tuesday that changing the maps was “extremely risky” and could allow Democrats to pick up a seat.

“Very candidly, you’re going to motivate Black turnout, and there will be repercussions from that,” including on local races, he said in that speech.

Mr. Massey and Mr. Hiott did agree that the redistricting debates were about to get even messier in Columbia, the capital.

“It’ll be like nothing we’ve ever seen,” Mr. Hiott said. “It’ll be long. It’ll be tedious. At times, hopefully, it’ll be respectful.”

He laughed when asked what he made of the governor’s change of heart on redistricting, adding, “I never thought it was out of the realm of possibility.”

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Mr. Massey said Mr. McMaster had argued in a private meeting that calling the legislature back didn’t mean he was telling them what to do.

“My position on that is, if you’re calling us back, you’re telling everybody what you want us to do,” Mr. Massey said.

Mr. Massey described their redistricting dilemma as “a box within a box,” a “maze,” something he didn’t know how to escape. Sooner or later, he added, they would have to vote on new maps.

The debate over redistricting comes in the waning weeks of a crowded Republican primary battle for governor. All of the leading candidates have expressed their support for redistricting to increase Republicans’ chances of retaining control of Congress. Some of the candidates, including Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Alan Wilson, the state attorney general, have showed up at committee hearings, urging lawmakers to move ahead.

Mr. Trump has not yet endorsed anyone in the governor’s race.

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