Northeast
Elon goes on campaign blitz against government regulations, vows to reveal bizarre alleged schemes
Tech billionaire Elon Musk is on a campaign trail blitz as he rallies support for former President Trump, targeting government regulations as he champions the expansion of American businesses and cutting government red tape.
Musk officially endorsed Trump over the summer, when the 45th president survived the first assassination attempt on his life this election cycle, and has since joined the campaign trail in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania to rally support and encourage people to vote. Relying on his decades as a tech visionary and business leader who has personally dealt with tight government regulations, Musk has made cutting red tape a hallmark of his stump speeches and commentary on X.
Early Sunday morning, Musk posted on X that he was ready to reveal to the public a bizarre alleged scheme where his company SpaceX was “forced by the government to kidnap seals.”
“Tomorrow, I will tell the story of how SpaceX was forced by the government to kidnap seals, put earphones on them and play sonic boom sounds to see if they seemed upset,” Musk posted on Sunday morning.
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Musk’s tease came in response to a clip of him saying on Saturday in Pennsylvania that he has a “bunch of nutty stories” related to government overregulation, including how SpaceX had to study the probability of its Starship rocket hitting a whale or shark.
“SpaceX had to do this study to see if Starship would hit a shark. And I’m like… it’s a big ocean. There are a lot of sharks. It’s not impossible, but it’s very unlikely. So we said, ‘Fine, we’ll do the analysis. Can you give us the shark data?’” he recounted to laughters from the audience. He said the National Marine Fisheries Service ordered SpaceX to carry out the study.
“They were like, ‘No, we can’t give you the shark data.’ Well, then, OK, we’re in a bit of a quandary. How do we solve this shark probability issue? They said, ‘Well, we could give it to our western division, but we don’t trust them.’ I’m like, ‘Am I in a comedy sketch here?’” Musk said in the clip.
“Eventually, we got the data and could run the analysis to say, ‘Yeah, the sharks are going to be fine.’ But they wouldn’t let us proceed with the launch until we did this crazy shark analysis. Then we thought, ‘OK, now we’re done.’ But then they said, ‘What about whales?’” Musk continued.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks as former President Trump listens at a campaign event, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
If re-elected to the White House, Trump said Musk could take a new position as “Secretary of Cost-Cutting” for the federal government.
“He doesn’t want to be in the Cabinet,” Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo last week on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “He just wants to be in charge of cost-cutting.”
“We’ll have a new position: Secretary of Cost-Cutting. Elon wants to do that, and we have incredible people. He’s running a big business. He can’t just say, ‘I think I’ll go into the Cabinet.’ Other people can. He can’t, but Elon’s a little bit different in that sense.”
Going back to August, when Musk hosted Trump for an interview on X Spaces, he focused his economic criticisms on government overspending as spurring current inflation woes that have rocked Americans’ pocketbooks.
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“A lot of people just don’t understand where inflation comes from. Inflation comes from government overspending because the checks never bounce when it’s written by the government. So if the government spends far more than it brings in, that increases the money supply. If the money supply increases faster than the rate of goods and services, that’s inflation,” Musk said during their conversation.
“So really we need to reduce our government spending, and we need to re-examine… I think we need a government efficiency commission to say like, ‘Hey, where are we spending money that’s sensible. Where is it not sensible?’”
Musk officially hit the campaign trail on behalf of Trump’s candidacy last week, holding a handful of rallies in Pennsylvania – a place Musk said he knows well, citing his Philadelphia residency while attending the University of Pennsylvania in the 1990s.
While speaking before an audience in Folsom last week, which is located about 20 miles outside of Philadelphia, Musk highlighted how Space X faced a $140,000 fine from the EPA for using drinking water to cool down a launch pad.
Former President Trump gestures at a campaign rally at the Findlay Toyota Arena on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Prescott Valley, Arizona. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“I’ll tell you like a crazy thing, like we got fined $140,000 by the EPA for dumping fresh water on the ground. Drinking water. It’s crazy. I’ll just give you an example of just how crazy it is. And we’re like, ‘Well, we’re using water to cool the launch pad during launch. You know, we’re going to cool the launch pad so it doesn’t overheat. And in excess of caution, we actually brought in drinking water, so clean, super clean water,’” Musk said to the audience.
“And the FAA said, ‘No, you have to pay a $140,000 fine.’ And we’re like, ‘But Starbase is in a tropical thunderstorm area. Sky water falls all the time,’” Musk recounted, referring to SpaceX’s headquarters in Texas. “‘That is the same as the water we used’ So, and it’s like… there’s no harm to anything. And they said, ‘Yeah, but we didn’t have a permit.’ We’re like, ‘You need a permit for fresh water?’” Musk recounted.
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Musk argued that America needs to move from “solving one problem after another,” to building industries that “inspire” residents alongside growing innovation, but that “we’re being massively slowed down by regulatory molasses.”
Elon Musk jumps on the stage as former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Musk’s campaign tour has apparently worried Democrats amid Trump’s effort to claim the Keystone State.
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Pennsylvania is viewed as the state that will likely determine the final outcome of the election, with both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly zigzagging the state to rally support among city dwellers, suburbanites and farmers alike. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman warned party members to not discount Musk’s influence among Pennsylvania voters.
“Not even just that he has endorsed [Trump], but the fact that now he’s becoming an active participant and showing up and doing rallies and things like that,” Fetterman told the New York Post, explaining that the enormously successful Tesla and SpaceX CEO is an attractive figure for the kinds of voters Harris needs to win.
Sen. John Fetterman has warned Democrats about Elon Musk’s potential impact on Pennsylvania voters. (Getty Images)
“I mean, [Musk] is incredibly successful, and, you know, I think some people would see him as, like, a Tony Stark,” said Fetterman, referencing the popular Marvel Comics character. “Democrats, you know, kind of make light of it, or they make fun of him jumping up and down and things like that. And I would just say that they are doing that at our peril.”
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Boston, MA
Boston May Fair 2026 opening times as ‘iconic’ attraction returns
A fair that attracts thousands of visitors every year will officially open later in Boston.
The May Fair is “one of the country’s most iconic and historic street fairs”, Boston Borough Council said.
The event, featuring attractions, rides and games, will be held in the town centre until 9 May.
Dale Broughton, leader of the council, said: “The Boston May Fair is one of our town’s most treasured traditions, and welcoming it back once again is something we look forward to all year.”
Pittsburg, PA
Who has the Best NFL City in America? Voting now underway until May 11
Which Pittsburgh Steelers draft picks do fans love, hate?
Steelers fans in attendance shared their thoughts on the team’s 2026 NFL Draft selections.
Pittsburgh has another opportunity to prove its passion for football, now that the 2026 NFL Draft is over.
The Steel City is among the nominees for “Best NFL City” in the USA Today Sports Readers’ Choice Awards, a new nationwide contest modeled after the media company’s successful 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards program.
Public voting will decide who gets the bragging rights from the slate of 20 nominees, which also includes Philadelphia, Baltimore and Cincinnati, by the way.
In addition to choosing the Best NFL City, voters can select their favorites in three other categories: Best College Baseball Stadium, Best Local Sports Bar and Best Sports Bar.
One vote per person, per day will be accepted in each category, and voting ends at noon on May 11. The top 10 winners in each category will be announced on May 20.
USA Today, the Beaver County Times and the Somerset Daily American are owned by the USA Today Co. media company.
Connecticut
Passport to Connecticut Wine Country offers prizes
Make Mother’S Day Memorable With These 8 Activities In Connecticut
Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 10, and Connecticut is full of ways to celebrate.
The Passport to Connecticut Wine Country program is kicking off its latest season, offering residents and visitors a chance to explore the state’s farm wineries and win prizes.
The program, which begins May 1 and includes 37 participating wineries — three of which are new for 2026 — according to a community announcement.
The new wineries are Ox & Oak Vineyard in Lebanon, Spring Hill Vineyards in New Preston and Long View Ciderhouse in Southington. Each offers a unique experience, from a quiet woodland backdrop to a historic farm setting and a branch-to-bottle cidery.
This year, the program is introducing a new feature to the passport booklets. A QR code on the inside cover allows users to register their booklet, making it easier to enter the end-of-season prize drawing.
Farm wineries will also have the option to use a live QR code to issue stamps onsite. Visitors can collect stamps by scanning the QR code at the winery, tapping “stamp my passport” within the mobile app or having their printed booklet marked during the visit.
“There’s nothing like summer in Connecticut! And the Passport to CT Wine Country is exactly what you need to help discover all our state has to offer,” said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz. “As you explore our beautiful farm wineries, there is so much more to explore in each town, from fabulous shops to stunning walking trails, delicious restaurants and so much more.”
The Connecticut Farm Wine Development Council has increased the total prize allocation this season to $15,000. The prizes will be divided among multiple drawings within three categories: Taster (12 or more stamps), Sommelier (18 or more stamps) and Winemaker (35 or more stamps), according to the announcement.
Connecticut is home to more than 45 licensed farm wineries, each required to use at least 25% Connecticut-grown fruit. Some producers participate in a voluntary designation that highlights wineries using 51% or more Connecticut-grown ingredients.
The Passport program runs through Dec. 31, 2026. Prize drawings will take place no later than Jan. 31, 2027, according to the announcement.
More information about Connecticut farm wineries and the Passport to Connecticut Wine Country program is available at ctwinecountry.com.
The Connecticut Farm Wine Development Council, administered by the state Department of Agriculture, is a voluntary council made up of winery owners, research institutions and representatives of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and Department of Economic and Community Development. The council is responsible for promoting state wines and related products, offering educational programs, recommending research projects and advising groups on farm wine development.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
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