Upshot: What Musk is missing

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April 14, 2025

The New York Times

Why Elon Musk Hasn’t Come Close to Finding $1 Trillion in Cuts

He seems to be realizing something that budget nerds have long known.

By Alicia Parlapiano, Margot Sanger-Katz and Josh Katz

Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

Musk’s Latest Fraud Finding Isn’t What It Seems

His team found cases of seemingly fake people receiving unemployment benefits. But that fake data exists for a reason.

By Emily Badger

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WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

The New York Times

Can You Stop an Outbreak of a Contagious Disease?

An interactive explanation of outbreaks, vaccines and herd immunity.

By Aatish Bhatia and Francesca Paris

The New York Times

Flashback: Your Weekly History Quiz, April 12, 2025

Can you sort 8 historical events?

The New York Times

How Much Are Tariffs on Chinese Goods? It’s Trickier Than You Think.

The tariff rate on Chinese imports can be as high as 245% or zero, depending on the type of product that is being imported.

By Agnes Chang, Lazaro Gamio and Pablo Robles

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The New York Times

House Republicans Passed a New Budget. Here’s What’s in It.

It calls for more tax cuts and fewer reductions in spending. It would increase the federal debt by a lot more.

By Margot Sanger-Katz and Alicia Parlapiano

The Unlikely Republicans Who Could Save Medicaid

If congressional Republicans go through with some of the deep Medicaid cuts they are considering, three states would be left in an especially tight bind. Margot Sanger-Katz, a reporter for The New York Times who covers health care policy and public health, describes how the Republican senators from those states could become an unlikely part of the firewall against big cuts to Medicaid.

By Margot Sanger-Katz, Laura Bult, Karen Hanley and James Surdam

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