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South African billionaire Elon Musk may end up serving as a cabinet-level hatchet man for President Donald Trump should the Republican win in November. In their 70-minute conversation on X Spaces last week, Musk raised the possibility of working under a future Trump administration on a novel committee tasked with eliminating inefficiencies and waste. On Monday, Trump spoke further to the possibility of having Musk on his team. Shortly after explaining why Trump's "inspiring" reaction to being shot on July 13 was part of what prompted him to explicitly endorse the Republican, Musk broached the subject of maximizing government efficiency. "Inflation is caused by government overspending," said Musk. "Would you agree that we need to take a look at government spending and have, perhaps, a government efficiency commission that just ... tries to make the spending sensible and so that the country lives within its means?" "The waste is incredible and nobody negotiates prices," said Trump. 'The Matrix will fight back.' The former president shared the story of how upon first taking office, he was presented with an outrageously expensive deal from Boeing to modify two 737 jumbo jets to serve as Air Force One. Upon learning the terms of the deal were allegedly based on a prior understanding had with elements of the former Obama administration, Trump indicated he told Boeing to pound sand. Ultimately, the company agreed to more favorable terms, only later confirming that it ate over $1.1 billion in costs related to the deal. "I shaved [the price] by $1.6 billion for the exact same plane," continued Trump. "You can now take that and multiply that out times thousands of other items and the numbers are astronomical." Musk stressed that there should be a government efficiency commission "that takes a look at these things and just ensures that the taxpayer money — that taxpayers' hard-earned money — is spent in a good way. And I'd be happy to help out on such a commission." Musk previously shared with Lex Fridman his aspirations of manning a government-shrinking committee in Washington, D.C., but noted doing so would be no picnic. "The antibody reaction would be very strong. You're attacking the Matrix at that point. The Matrix will fight back," said Musk. The "Matrix," which some may alternatively refer to as the administrative state, has already taken steps to hinder a future Trump administration from maximizing efficiency in government. Trump — who expressed admiration for Argentine President Javier Milei's apparent success taking a "chainsaw" both to his predecessors' failed leftist policies and to bureaucratic overgrowth — sounded amenable to Musk's idea of a waste-cutting commission, noting the X CEO has demonstrated himself a capable "cutter." "I look at what you do — you walk in, you just say 'You want to quit?' They go on strike — I won't mention the name of the company — but they go on strike and you say, 'That's okay, you're all gone." Months after taking over Twitter, Musk confirmed in a 2023 interview with the BBC that he had fired over 80% of the workforce. "This is not a caring [or] uncaring situation," Musk said at the time. "If the whole ship sinks, then nobody's got a job." Trump may have, however, been referring to Tesla's termination of at least 18 employees last year, which the New York Times alleged was in response to a union organizing campaign at a plant in Buffalo. The company alternatively indicated that the firings were the result of a semi-annual performance review and planned prior to the publication of the union campaign. When pressed Monday about whether he would consider naming Musk to an advisory role or a cabinet-level position, Trump told Reuters, "He's a very smart guy. I certainly would, if he would do it, I certainly would. He's a brilliant guy." Musk subsequently took to X to emphasize, "I am willing to serve." The image accompanying his post shows Musk behind a podium emblazoned with the proposed title, "Department Of Government Efficiency," along with its acronym, which users recognized alluded to another meme: "Doge," the shiba inu dog immortalized in the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. — (@) Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Two teenage suspects have been charged with murder in the shooting death of "General Hospital" actor Johnny Wactor. Robert Barceleau and Sergio Estrada, both 18, were each charged with one count of murder Monday.Los Angeles police reportedly said the suspects have lengthy criminal records and are affiliated with the Florencia 13 gang. Barceleau also faces a special circumstance of murder during an attempted robbery and personal use of a firearm. He also was hit with one count of attempted robbery with personal use of a firearm and one count of grand theft with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm. If convicted, Barceleau faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole and is being held without bail.Estrada also faces one count of attempted robbery with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm and one count of grand theft with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. Estrada faces life in prison and is being held on $2,070,000 bail.Two other suspects were charged in connection with the death of the actor. Leonel Gutierrez, 18, was charged with one count of attempted robbery with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm and one count of grand theft with an allegation of principal armed with a firearm. If he is convicted, Gutierrez faces up to four years and eight months in prison and is being held on $120,000 bail.Frank Olano, 22, faces charges of accessory after the fact to murder, receiving stolen property, and three counts of being a felon with a firearm. Olano faces five years and eight months, according to prosecutors, and is being held on $1,080,000 bail.Los Angeles police reportedly said the suspects have lengthy criminal records and are affiliated with the Florencia 13 gang. The actor's mother, Scarlett Wactor, said of the suspects, "They're breathing air that my son doesn't get to any more. I prayed that they were not juveniles so that they could be tried as adults."As Blaze News previously reported, Wactor was leaving his bartending shift at the Moxy Hotel in downtown Los Angeles around 3:25 a.m. May 25 when he confronted three males trying to steal the catalytic converter from his parked car. Police said one of the suspects fired at the actor, and the 37-year-old entertainer died at an area hospital.Wactor was best known for playing Brando Corbin on "General Hospital" for 164 episodes. Wactor had 51 acting credits to his name, including "Westworld," The OA," "NCIS," "Criminal Minds," and "Disillusioned."Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón stated, "Johnny Wactor’s life was senselessly taken while he was simply walking to his parked car in downtown Los Angeles. We are committed to seeking justice for Mr. Wactor and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.""The loss of this talented young actor, who was in the prime of his life and had so much to offer the world, is deeply felt by all of us," he continued. "Mr. Wactor’s work and presence touched the lives of many, and our hearts go out to his family, friends, and the entire community who mourn this devastating loss."Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass added, "I want to thank the LAPD for their work and partnership throughout the investigation and for their continued efforts to keep Angelenos safe and to bring justice to victims of violence. We must continue to take aggressive action to make our city safer. Those who commit crimes must be held fully responsible for their actions." LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said he is "confident that we have the right people on the right charges."Choi said, "To the family and loved ones of Johnny Wactor: We know that no legal action can ever bring back the person you have lost, but we hope that today’s announcement brings some measure of comfort in knowing that those responsible will be held accountable for their actions."The LAPD’s Central Bureau Homicide Division is still investigating the case.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

"They took it home and buried it. You have to remember that fossils weren't really explained until Darwin came along." The post Englishman Unveils Ichthyosaurus Fossil His Ancestors Kept Buried In Their Yard appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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The mass shooting rampage in Lewiston, Maine, in October 2023 in which Robert Card killed 18 people and wounded 13 others could have been prevented by the local sheriff's office and leaders of Card's Army Reserve Unit, according to a report.