International

Elon Musk is a “special government employee” of Trump, according to the White House

Billionaire Elon Musk, who has deployed a team to access internal systems of the Treasury or the Usaid agency, is a “special government employee” and is operating in accordance with the law, according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, said on Monday.

“I can confirm that (Musk) is a special government employee and that he is complying with all applicable federal laws,” the spokeswoman explained on Monday, although she could not confirm if the tycoon, who does not hold a position in Donald Trump’s cabinet, has obtained a security permit to access sensitive data.

Musk has deployed a team of several young people, who report directly to him, and who during the weekend have accessed payment systems of the Treasury Department and servers of the US Cooperation Agency (Usaid), exposing in some cases transfers that the tycoon has denounced as inappropriate.

According to the Department of Justice, a special government employee is “anyone who works or is expected to work for the Government for 130 days or less in a 365-day period.”

According to sources told CNN, Musk does not receive any salary from the Government for his services he performs as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

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In addition, according to the CBS network, Musk has an office in the west wing of the White House and, at times, has gone to it accompanied by one of his younger children.

Trump said today to questions from journalists in the Oval Office that Musk is acting in the right way and does not believe he has incurred any conflict of interest in his work of intervention and auditing federal expenses.

According to the president, Musk operates under his orders and “he cannot and will not do anything without our approval.”

Musk has deployed a team of six young engineers, which the tycoon joked in X who work without hours and at all hours, who have taken control of key points in the Treasury Department, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the General Services Administration (GSA).

In addition, these entries, which have sometimes forced this team to open sensitive federal services, have met with the opposition of officials who work in these institutions.

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The United States humanitarian cooperation agency (Usaid) was the last scenario of this intervention by Musk’s team, with employees accused of “insubordination” by the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who has become the agency’s acting administrator.

Musk has said that Usaid, the world’s largest international cooperation agency, is a “criminal organization” and must be closed immediately.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.