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Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee demanded a copy of Elon Musk’s financial disclosure from the White House on Thursday amid concerns about potential conflicts of interest between the tech billionaire’s numerous businesses and his work for the Trump administration. 

Led by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the panel, the lawmakers requested the financial disclosure that Musk was legally required to submit as a special government employee. 

“In an unprecedented arrangement, President Donald Trump has bestowed expansive and unlawful authority to Mr. Musk, an unelected billionaire,” Connolly and 20 other members wrote in a letter to White House counsel David Warrington. 

“The Trump Administration has failed to make public Mr. Musk’s financial disclosure filings, hiding the true extent of his conflicts from the public,” they added. 

The Oversight Democrats are also seeking a document from the White House certifying that Musk’s potential conflicts of interest were considered “too remote or inconsequential to affect the integrity” of his service. 

As federal employees are barred from participating in government matters in which they have a financial interest, they need a waiver asserting that the conflict is unlikely to affect their work, the lawmakers noted. 

Musk’s expansive network of businesses, including X, SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink and the Boring Company, have repeatedly raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest amid his prominent role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

As DOGE has moved to slash large swaths of government spending, cutting tens of thousands of federal employees and gutting certain agencies, lawmakers and outside observers have emphasized the ways in which Musk’s companies could potentially benefit. 

Musk reiterated Wednesday he plans to step back from his DOGE work going forward, limiting his time in Washington to one to two days a week.  

The shift comes as Musk’s government work has weighed heavily on Tesla. The electric vehicle firm has largely become a political symbol for the billionaire and his DOGE efforts, making it a target for peaceful and violent demonstrations. The company reported a significant dip in earnings in the first quarter. 

(KTLA) – Gaming is about to get a whole lot more expensive.

Microsoft announced on Thursday that virtually all physical products relating to its Xbox gaming line, including consoles, accessories and games, will receive hefty and immediate price increases worldwide.

“We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development,” the company said. “Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and ensuring value for Xbox players.”

The standard version of the Xbox Series X, its powerful flagship gaming console, will go from $499.99 to $599.99 Meanwhile, the less powerful Xbox Series S with 512 GB of storage, intended to be a more affordable version of the console, will go from $299.99 to $379.99.

Standard controllers will remain at their current prices — $64.99 for black or white and $69.99 for colorful versions — but limited edition controllers designed with artwork from Xbox games and other properties will go from $79.99 to $89.99.

The Xbox wireless headset is also receiving a $10 price increase from $109.99 to $119.99.

Prices will also rise in Europe, Australia and Asia. More information about the increases has been posted on Xbox’s official site.

Those increases are all immediate, and will hit retailers starting Thursday. Meanwhile, some first-party games, meaning games published by Microsoft itself, will go from $69.99 to $79.99 at retail starting this holiday season.

Those could include iconic Xbox franchises like “Halo,” “Gears of War” and “Forza Motorsport” — but also franchises acquired by Microsoft over the years like “Minecraft,” “Call of Duty,” “Elder Scrolls,” “Fallout” and “Diablo.”

Microsoft didn’t provide an exact reason for the price increase, although Xbox consoles are known to be manufactured in China — which is the target of massive tariffs from the administration of President Donald Trump.

Trump has levied an unprecedented 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports. His tariff push has become the defining legacy of his first 100 days in office in his second term.

The U.S. economy shrank 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2025, reaffirming economists’ predictions that the country could be headed to recession in the coming months.

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Apple violated a 2021 court order requiring the iPhone maker to open up its App Store to competition, referring the company and a top executive for potential criminal contempt proceedings.

In a scathing 80-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers slammed Apple for thwarting her order, saying the company “continued its anticompetitive conduct solely to maintain its revenue stream.” 

“Remarkably, Apple believed that this Court would not see through its obvious cover-up,” Gonzalez Rogers wrote. 

In the case against Fortnite maker Epic Games, the court largely ruled in Apple’s favor in 2021, finding it was not an “illegal monopolist” but had engaged in anticompetitive behavior. 

The court determined that the 30 percent commission Apple charged on in-app purchases, as well as rules blocking developers from directing users to alternative payment methods to avoid such charges, were anticompetitive. 

In her injunction, Gonzalez Rogers barred Apple from preventing developers from communicating with users about other payment options. 

Apple has since added a 27 percent fee on off-app purchases and new restrictions on how developers can craft external links directing users to payment systems outside the in-app system. It also instituted so-called “scare screens” warning users about external links. 

Gonzalez Rogers reprimanded Apple on Wednesday, suggesting the iPhone maker “willfully chose not to comply” with her order. 

“That it thought this Court would tolerate such insubordination was a gross miscalculation,” she wrote. “As always, the coverup made it worse. For this Court, there is no second bite at the apple.” 

The judge also suggested that the company’s vice president of finance, Alex Roman, lied under oath, referring the issue to the local district attorney to determine whether to bring criminal contempt charges against Apple and Roman. 

“This is an injunction, not a negotiation,” Gonzalez Rogers added. “There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order. Time is of the essence. The Court will not tolerate further delays. As previously ordered, Apple will not impede competition.” 

Epic Games initially sued Apple in 2020 after it was booted from the App Store for attempting to circumvent the company’s in-app purchase fees. 

The Fortnite maker’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, touted the ruling Wednesday night, calling it “Game over for the Apple Tax.” 

“Apple’s 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act,” he wrote on X. “Unlawful here, unlawful there.” 

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

An Arizona man could face multiple decades in prison and more than $1 million in fines for allegedly torching a Tesla Cybertruck at a Mesa, Ariz., dealership last month, federal authorities announced Wednesday.

Ian William Moses, 35, of Mesa, was indicted this week on five felony counts of malicious damage to property used in interstate commerce. Authorities have alleged that Moses used gasoline and a starter log to try to set the dealership and three Tesla vehicles on fire on April 28, amid a wave of retaliation against tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration.

The Department of Justice, in a news release announcing the federal jury’s indictment of Moses, shared photos of a burned-out Cybertruck that exploded during the attack.

According to local media reports, the suspect spray-painted graffiti on the side of the building that misspelled the word “THIEF.”

Mesa Police arrested Moses less than a mile away from the Tesla dealership shortly after the fire started, and he was wearing the same clothes as the person seen in surveillance footage pouring gasoline on the building. Officers also allegedly found a hand-drawn map in Moses’s pocket that had the letter “T” marking the dealership’s location.

“There is nothing American about burning down someone else’s business because you disagree with them politically,” Timothy Courchaine, the interim federal prosecutor for Arizona, said in a statement. “These ongoing attacks against Tesla are not protests, they are acts of violence that have no place in Arizona or anywhere else. If someone targets Tesla with violence, they will be found and confronted with the full force of the law.”

If convicted, each count carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement on Moses’s indictment that there would be “no negotiating” on the charges.

“If you engage in domestic terrorism, this Department of Justice will find you, follow the facts, and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi said.

Bondi indicated earlier this year that vandalism targeting Tesla dealerships and vehicles would be treated as “domestic terrorism.”

“The swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism,” she said in a March 18 statement. “We will continue investigations that impose severe consequences on those involved in these attacks, including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.”

Close to half of all Americans think that the U.S. government is hiding information about the existence of unidentified flying objects, or unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), according to a new poll from NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ.

The poll, which surveyed 521 Republicans, 559 Democrats, 349 independents and 18 “other” voters, found that 44 percent of Americans believe that the government is concealing UFO information, while 28 percent disagree and another 28 percent are unsure.

Young Americans are particularly suspicious, with 49 percent of Gen Z respondents and 48 percent of millennials believing in government UFO secrecy, compared to just 34 percent of baby boomers.

The poll revealed demographic differences, with 52 percent of Black respondents and 49 percent of Hispanic voters believing in government UFO concealment, compared to 41 percent of white voters.

Political affiliation also influenced beliefs, with 48 percent of Republicans saying the government hides UFO information versus 39 percent of Democrats. Independents aligned more closely with Republicans at 44 percent.

Men were more likely than women to believe the government is not being transparent about UAPs (47 percent vs. 41 percent), while urban residents showed higher levels of belief (47 percent) compared to rural areas (41 percent).

Education levels also played a role in respondents’ views. Those with a high school education or less (52 percent) were more likely to believe in government UFO concealment than college graduates (36 percent).

Regional differences were modest but notable, with the South showing the highest level of belief (48 percent) and the Midwest the lowest (37 percent).

The survey’s findings come amid increased attention to UAPs following congressional hearings and Pentagon reports acknowledging unexplained encounters by military personnel.

House Oversight Committee gives no answer on UAP sightings

The House Oversight Committee met Tuesday to discuss unauthorized drone activity over U.S. military sites. Lawmakers pressed Pentagon and Federal Aviation Administration officials about the reports and their response.

The hearing was held months after the White House said the mysterious drones spotted over New Jersey at the end of 2024 were not “the work of an adversary.” The sightings in New Jersey prompted concern from residents for weeks.

Lawmakers are slated to continue questioning the drone sightings and their place in national security.

The House Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs has said sightings of UFOs above military bases have increased and that those sites are being exposed to surveillance, espionage and potential weaponization.

President Trump had said in January the drones were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The NewsNation/DDHQ survey was conducted April 23-27 among 1,448 registered voters. The margin of error is 2.4 percentage points.

NewsNation’s Brooke Shafer contributed to this report.

Robyn Denholm, the chair of Tesla Inc., pushed back on reports that the electric vehicle (EV) giant’s board members have launched a search for a new chief executive to succeed CEO Elon Musk — a key adviser to President Trump and his efforts to revamp the federal government.

Denholm’s defense came after The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday night that Tesla contacted several executive search firms to begin a search for a new leader, citing people familiar with the discussions. 

The Journal reported that the company’s board met with Musk recently and suggested he should be more present at the company, adding that the tech billionaire did not object. 

“Earlier today, there was a media report erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO search at the company,” Denholm wrote on the social platform X shortly early Thursday morning. “This is absolutely false (and this was communicated to the media before the report was published).”

“The CEO of Tesla is Elon Musk and the Board is highly confident in his ability to continue executing on the exciting growth plan ahead,” she added.

A Wall Street Journal spokesperson responded to a request for comment from The Hill: “We stand by our reporting. Tesla was given the opportunity to provide a statement before publication, which they did not do.”

Musk, who has played an instrumental role in the first 100 days of the Trump administration as the top adviser over the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — a commission tasked with cutting billions of dollars in government spending and overhauling the workforce — also pushed back on the Journal’s reporting.

“It is an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS that the @WSJ would publish a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE and fail to include an unequivocal denial beforehand by the Tesla board of directors,” Musk wrote on X, which he also owns.

The tech billionaire said last week that he would temper down his involvement in the administration and devote more time and energy to Tesla, one of the six companies he oversees. His tenure as a special government employee is set to expire May 30. 

Still, Musk told reporters Wednesday he is “willing to continue on average, one to two days a week, which probably means coming to D.C. every other week for three days, type of thing.” 

Tesla’s eight-person board includes Musk, along with his brother Kimbal Musk and James Murdoch, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

The transition also comes as Tesla reels from earnings drops and a slew of protests and attacks on dealerships across the U.S. and abroad in light of the Trump administration’s mass layoffs and moves some have argued primarily benefit the wealthy.

Updated at 10:51 a.m. EDT.