Elon Musk’s Efficiency Team Seeks Access to IRS Taxpayer Data, Reports Say – Live Updates on US Politics

Here is more information on US and Russian officials meeting in Riyadh.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Riyadh for discussions previously scheduled.

US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will join him for talks with Russian officials later on Monday, as reported by Reuters.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and policy advisor to President Vladimir Putin, Yuri Ushakov, will head to Riyadh on Monday.

“They are expected to meet with their American counterparts on Tuesday focusing mainly on restoring the full scope of Russian-American relations,” Peskov stated.

“The agenda will also address the potential negotiations on resolving the situation in Ukraine and organizing a meeting between the two presidents.”

These meetings represent some of the first face-to-face discussions in years between US and Russian officials and are intended to set the stage for a presidential meeting.

Peskov refrained from commenting on whether Putin and President Donald Trump would meet directly in Saudi Arabia within the month.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s radical initiative to drastically cut billions of dollars in yearly federal spending while making substantial job and regulatory reductions has led to accusations of illegal maneuvers that undermine both congressional and judicial power, according to legal experts, Democrats, and state attorneys general.

Trump’s extensive use of executive orders, which amplifies his authority significantly in the name of cost-cutting, coupled with the unprecedented efforts of the Musk-led “government efficiency department” (Doge) to eliminate numerous agency personnel and regulations, has resulted in chaos throughout the US government and raised alarms regarding a potential threat to American democracy.

Trump and Musk have also criticized judges whose rulings opposed aspects of their initiatives, with threats of impeachment against at least one judge, alongside accusations of improper interference.

“In the United States, we challenge decisions we find objectionable through legal appeal – we don’t ignore judicial orders or retaliate against judges with threats of impeachment simply because we disagree with a verdict. This represents a coup, clear and simple,” remarked Arizona’s attorney general, Kris Mayes.

Trump and Musk, currently the world’s wealthiest individual and Trump’s largest single donor respectively, are facing numerous denunciations from judges and legal experts over the regulatory and staff reductions they have implemented across various departments, including the Treasury Department, US Agency for International Development, and others.

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The Kremlin has announced that a US citizen who was detained at a Moscow airport for allegedly entering Russia with cannabis-infused gummy candies has been released ahead of the upcoming talks scheduled in Saudi Arabia aiming to mend ties, as reported by Agence France-Presse.

In response to inquiries regarding the release of the individual, named Kalob Wayne Byers, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked: “With the discussions regarding the restoration of relations taking place on Tuesday, these events can indeed be viewed in that light.”

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Donald Trump seeks the Supreme Court‘s permission to dismiss the ethics head of the federal agency responsible for protecting whistleblowers, according to AP.

This emergency appeal marks the beginning of what is likely to be a continuous effort to overturn lower court rulings that have impeded his agenda for a second term.

The Justice Department’s filing, acquired by AP, is requesting the conservative-majority court to vacate a judge’s ruling that temporarily reinstated Hampton Dellinger as the leader of the Office of Special Counsel.

Dellinger was appointed by President Joe Biden and initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration after being dismissed via email earlier this month.

Here are some additional updates:

• The Trump administration has suspended the termination of hundreds of federal employees involved with the country’s nuclear weapons programs, as reported by the Associated Press (AP). Three US officials informed AP that up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) were abruptly terminated late Thursday. However, by Friday night, the agency’s acting director, Teresa Robbins, issued a memo reversing the dismissals for all but 28 employees. The mass layoffs at NNSA are part of a broader purge within the Department of Energy dubbed the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), targeting about 2,000 employees.

• Donald Trump stated to reporters on Sunday that he anticipates a potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss cessation of hostilities in Ukraine may occur “very soon.” Trump expressed his commitment to achieving peace, asserting that both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have the desire to halt the conflict.

• Trump incurred criticism for equating himself to Napoleon in light of his critiques of judges. He shared a post on social media stating, “he who saves his country does not violate any laws,” a quote attributed to the French ruler. This statement followed another tumultuous week wherein Trump affiliates questioned the validity of judges who issued a series of rulings that obstructed the president’s aggressive attempts to overhaul or dismantle federal institutions and budgets.

• French President Emmanuel Macron has summoned leaders from crucial European Union nations and the United Kingdom for an emergency conference on Monday to strategize on handling the Trump administration and to accelerate plans for increased defense expenditures.

• Secretary of State Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are scheduled to confer with a Russian delegation in Riyadh on Tuesday, according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) is actively pursuing access to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), aiming to obtain detailed financial data on all U.S. taxpayers, businesses, and nonprofits, prompting concerns about privacy, security, and potential government overreach, according to The Washington Post.

The report indicates that Doge is trying to gain entry to a secure IRS system containing sensitive personal financial information regarding millions of Americans.

This request, which is currently under review, would grant Doge officials “extensive access to tax agency systems, properties, and datasets. This includes the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), which allows tax agency personnel to view IRS accounts—covering personal identification numbers and banking details,” The Washington Post reports.

A representative from the Trump administration has defended the initiative, asserting that Doge’s objective is to “eradicate waste, fraud, and abuse, and to enhance government performance for the benefit of the populace.”