Also, ISIS claimed responsibility for attacks in Syria. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.
President Trump welcomed television cameras into the Oval Office this afternoon for a goodbye event for Elon Musk, the billionaire whose short time in Washington was both exceptional and turbulent.
Musk, after years of drifting to the political right, spent hundreds of millions of dollars to get Trump elected. He then wielded enormous power from an unpaid advisory role, traveling with the president and attending meetings with foreign leaders. Musk’s central effort in Washington was aimed at gutting the government bureaucracy. He often inflated the results of his cost-saving measures and never came close to his goal of $1 trillion in cuts, but his chain-saw approach to cutting spending will be lasting. Workers were fired, contracts were canceled and programs were eliminated.
Ultimately, Musk’s departure — which he attributed to the end of the 130-day legal limit for “special government employees” — came as his influence inside the Trump administration appeared to be waning. He has faced friction with the president, with whom he has clashed on tariffs and budget issues.
Still, Trump heaped praise today on Musk, describing him as “one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced.” He gave Musk a golden key emblazoned with the White House insignia and said he would remain an adviser.
Musk, too, vowed not to fully leave Trump’s orbit. He told Trump’s advisers this year that he would give $100 million to political groups controlled by the president’s team before the 2026 midterm elections.
Musk showed up to today’s event with a black eye. He said that his 5-year-old son had punched him when the two were “horsing around.”
For more: My colleagues reported today that during Musk’s time on the campaign trail last year, he used drugs far more intensely than previously known and faced increasing family turmoil. Musk brushed off questions about the article during his White House farewell.
Trump accused China of violating a trade truce
Trump said today that Beijing was not honoring the terms of a trade truce that the U.S. and China brokered this month, which temporarily rolled back tariffs that the countries had imposed on each other. In a social media post, Trump suggested that he could return to a more confrontational approach: “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”
The Trump administration has also suspended sales of some critical technologies to China — including one related to a plane that Beijing sees as a “power” symbol — and threatened to revoke the visas of many of the 277,000 Chinese students in the U.S. Taken together, the actions amount to an aggressive campaign to “decouple” the U.S. from China.
In other Trump administration news:
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Countering a recommendation from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the C.D.C. kept Covid shots on the vaccine schedule for children 6 months to 17 years old, with a new condition.
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The Supreme Court let the Trump administration, for now, revoke a Biden-era program designed to give temporary residency to some immigrants.
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Immigration authorities are seeking to ramp up deportations through courthouse arrests.
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The Trump administration accused New York of discriminating against Native Americans by banning school mascots like “Chiefs.”
ISIS claimed responsibility for attacks in Syria
The Islamic State said that it was responsible for two bombings in Syria that killed and wounded government soldiers and allied militia members. It was the first time that ISIS directly targeted the new government, which took over in December, a war monitoring group said.
ISIS, which years ago was largely defeated by U.S. and allied Syrian forces, has shown a renewed vigor since the fall of Bashar al-Assad last year.
A California track meet in the spotlight
This afternoon, a transgender girl is set to compete in the California high school track and field championships, arguably the most competitive state meet in the country. Her participation has fueled intense debate about transgender athletes. The local police department said that it expected both protesters and supporters to show up, and that it intended to send more officers to the event.
More top news
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Weather: One person was killed and at least seven were injured when a tornado struck central Kentucky this morning.
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Gaza: Israel’s military issued a new evacuation order for much of northern Gaza, warning of dangerous combat to come.
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Ukraine: The foreign minister accused Russia of stalling peace negotiations before a round of talks proposed for Monday.
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Nigeria: At least 56 people died whenrain flooded their town.
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Music: Taylor Swift said she had bought back the rights to her first six albums after a contentious six-year battle with investors.
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Spelling bee: Faizan Zaki, 13, won the competition with a flawless enunciation of the letters in “éclaircissement.” Here are our takeaways.
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Lives lived: Loretta Swit, the actress who made the high-strung Maj. Margaret Houlihan feel human and sympathetic on “M*A*S*H,” died. She was 87.
TIME TO UNWIND
The creator of ‘Succession’ is back with a dark comedy
The world is burning in the new HBO film “Mountainhead,” and it’s all thanks to a group of not-so-genius tech billionaires who are holed up in a snowy retreat. The comedy, which premieres tomorrow, is the latest project from Jesse Armstrong, the creator of “Succession.”
While it doesn’t have the same depth, our television critic James Poniewozik writes, Armstrong’s hallmarks are still present: a brutal sense of interpersonal power dynamics, a flair for creative profanity and an abiding belief that the worst people will succeed.
Join our creativity challenge
There’s an antidote to burnout and brain fog hiding in plain sight: creativity. Every day next week, our Well team will invite you to try a specially designed exercise to lift your mood.
“Everyone has the ability to be creative, whether or not they think so, and it’s a skill that can be developed and honed,” my colleague Sarah Collins, the project’s editor, said. “As we dug into the research and reporting on creativity, we learned that creativity has many mental health benefits. It can boost your mood, sharpen your problem-solving and make you more open and curious.” Sign up here.
Dinner table topics
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Mia Threapleton: Kate Winslet’s daughter got her first starring role in Wes Anderson’s new film. She was shocked.
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Roland Garros: For French tennis players, Court Suzanne-Lenglen is heaven. For others, it’s hell.
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“Pretty Little Baby”: At 87, Connie Francis is happy to be in the spotlight after her forgotten 1962 song became an online hit.
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No room, no problem: These New Yorkers set up functional gyms in their tiny apartments.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND
Cook: Grill some pizza this weekend and top it with charred vegetables.
Read: Book lists aren’t just for kids. Here’s our summer reading list.
Plan: Across the country, there are festival plays worth traveling to.
Shine: We have tips for restoring all of your rusty metal.
Prepare: Here’s how to stay safe while enjoying the wilderness.
Stroll: Walking has health benefits, and it doesn’t have to be a chore.
Compete: Take this week’s news quiz.
Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
ONE LAST THING
We watched ‘Mission Impossible’ with a real spy
For nearly 30 years, Tom Cruise has played Ethan Hunt, a superspy in the “Mission Impossible” movies. He commandeers planes, sets off explosions and always has the right disguise. My colleague Sopan Deb wanted to know if operatives like Hunt really existed.
So, Sopan watched the latest installment of the franchise with Christopher Costa, who worked in counterintelligence and now runs the International Spy Museum in Washington. Costa said some of the tools are real but the wild action is not. “It’s like watching paint dry most of the time,” he said.
Have a daring weekend.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back on Monday. — Matthew
Sean Kawasaki-Culligan was our photo editor.
We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.
