The Morning Sixpack - June 6, 2025

Trump and Musk feud tanks Tesla; ICE hits 100,000 arrests; DHS fast-tracks border wall; Trump’s $45M military parade rolls into Washington; DC streets will be in shambles.

The Trump-Musk Fallout: A High-Stakes Political Divorce Rocking GOP Power Circles

Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s public breakup is more than just a celebrity spat—it’s shaking the foundations of GOP politics and Washington power plays.

After a flurry of sharp accusations and threats, White House aides are scrambling to cool tensions, but loyalty lines are already drawn deep in MAGA circles.

The feud escalated with Musk’s blistering posts on X accusing Trump of mishandling the 2020 election and forecasting economic recession from his tariffs, while Trump threatened to cut Musk’s government contracts in retaliation. Despite efforts by aides to broker peace via a call, the split feels far from healed, with some inside Trump’s camp openly criticizing Musk’s stability and motives.

MAGA stalwarts like Steve Bannon have doubled down on protecting Trump, calling Musk’s critics “punks” and even proposing aggressive government actions against Musk’s businesses amid allegations of foreign entanglements. Meanwhile, Musk’s influence on Republican fundraising is met mostly with shrugs, as many GOP insiders remain skeptical of his temperamental support.

The conflict carries real stakes as Musk’s attacks on a crucial Republican megabill threaten to sway key votes during the final legislative push, highlighting how policy battles and personal grudges are dangerously intertwined. Trump, however, remains publicly unfazed, claiming the split is “going very well” and underscoring his experience with high-profile breakups.

The fallout is a reminder that political power in Washington is as volatile as ever—and when the world’s richest man and a former president collide, the ripples spread far beyond their personal feud.

Source: POLITICO Playbook: The Trump-Musk Divorce Gets Ugly

While I’m as into this as any other news junkie, I am scared AF about the potential fallout. Just think about all the data Musk has stolen from our internal federal databases… and be very scared. He is the modern-day Batman super villain.

Tesla Tanks $152 Billion After Trump Threatens to Cut Musk’s Government Contracts

Tesla’s market value plunged $152 billion in a single day as tensions exploded between Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

Shares dropped 14%, pushing Tesla below the $1 trillion mark to close at $916 billion amid Trump’s threats to pull government contracts from Musk’s companies.

The feud intensified after Musk publicly criticized Trump’s GOP spending bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination” and threatening primary challenges against lawmakers who support it. Trump fired back on Truth Social, blaming Musk for going “crazy” after losing the EV credits fight and stripping him of his electric vehicle mandate.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said he was surprised by Musk’s reaction, while Musk dismissed the drama with a curt “Whatever” on X. Musk also claimed, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” underscoring how personal and political the clash has become.

The stock drop comes despite Tesla’s 22% rally in May and ongoing challenges like slumping sales in Europe and a delayed driverless ride-hailing launch. Biographer Walter Isaacson described Musk as “seriously upset” and “not exactly calibrated” in handling the conflict, signaling deeper frustrations behind the headlines.

This showdown signals more than a billionaire vs. president quarrel—it’s rattling Tesla’s future and reshaping the intersection of politics and business on Capitol Hill.

Source: CNBC: Tesla Shares Plunge After Musk-Trump Feud

Well, Tesla was never worth near what the market said it was worth, so this “correction” couldn’t come soon enough. No way in hell Tesla is worth more than the US automakers combined. NO FUCKING WAY. And it’s been that way a very long time.

DHS Waives Environmental Laws to Fast-Track 36 Miles of New Border Wall in Arizona and New Mexico

The Department of Homeland Security is speeding up construction on 36 miles of border wall by waiving key environmental protections.

Secretary Kristi Noem approved three waivers that override laws like the National Environmental Policy Act to avoid administrative delays and ensure rapid progress.

The waivers cover projects across the El Paso, Yuma, and Tucson sectors, funded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s 2020 and 2021 budgets. DHS emphasized these moves as essential steps to strengthen border security and fulfill commitments to physical barriers and road infrastructure.

This marks another push in border wall construction efforts initially championed by former President Donald Trump, who promised a Mexico-funded barrier—though Mexico never paid, and about 500 miles were built during Trump’s first term.

Environmental groups have long criticized waivers like these for bypassing necessary protections, raising concerns about ecological damage in sensitive border regions. Yet DHS insists the waivers prevent costly delays that could hamper security objectives.

The accelerated construction comes amid broader political debates over immigration enforcement and border policies, highlighting the tension between security priorities and environmental stewardship.

Source: UPI: DHS expedites 36 miles of border wall, waiving environmental laws

Environment be damned! We gotta build this wall!

ICE Traps Officers and Migrants in Scorching Djibouti Container — Because Why Not?

Almost a dozen ICE officers and eight deportees are stuck roasting in a metal shipping container in Djibouti, facing rocket attacks, malaria, and zero thanks from the Trump admin.

Instead of flying the migrants back after a judge blocked their deportation to unsafe countries, officials dumped them at the only U.S. military base in Africa — unarmed, unprepared, and baked under triple-digit heat.

The detainees include convicted criminals, but apparently that’s no excuse for proper protection or medical care. Officers and migrants now cough and wheeze from a bacterial infection with limited meds, while the Defense Department grumbles about housing violent offenders in a converted conference room amid “imminent danger” from nearby Yemen’s terrorist groups.

The Trump administration’s legal gymnastics to dodge the Convention Against Torture’s screening requirements are front and center here, with DHS calling the judge’s injunction “reprehensible and pathological” while whining about resources diverted to this ‘disaster.’ Meanwhile, a lawyer for the detainees rightly worries about their health and safety in this Kafkaesque nightmare.

Judge Brian Murphy had explicitly barred sending immigrants to countries where they risk persecution or torture — a law the administration just shrugged off to advance its crackdown, stranding humans and law enforcement alike in absurd, dangerous conditions.

If you thought immigration policy couldn’t get more dystopian, welcome to Trump’s second term.

Source: Washington Post: ICE Officers Stuck in Djibouti Shipping Container

Can’t say I feel sorry for the ICE agents. They are evil motherfuckers.

ICE Hits 100,000 Arrests Under Trump as Crackdown Turns Into Full-Blown Dragnet

ICE just crossed 100,000 arrests this week, ramping up a nationwide dragnet that’s rounding up immigrants everywhere — from courthouses to workplaces and even kids at volleyball practice.

The agency’s daily arrests skyrocketed to over 2,000, a sharp leap from both Biden’s era and Trump’s own early days back in office.

Fueled by immigration hardliner Stephen Miller’s push for at least 3,000 daily arrests, the administration is begging Congress for billions more to double detention capacity and hire thousands of new deportation officers — even eyeing military bases for new prisons. This aggressive expansion follows the ousting of top ICE leaders frustrated with slow arrest numbers.

Lawyers and communities are sounding alarms about ICE’s tactics, including snatching migrants at court appointments and worksites, driving fear and confusion in immigrant populations. Videos show tearful families and confrontations with masked agents, painting a grim picture of enforcement overreach.

While many arrested do have criminal records, ICE’s net increasingly traps non-criminals and long-term residents, like 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes, arrested on his way to practice despite no criminal history. The administration has reversed Biden’s more restrained focus, prioritizing raw arrest counts over discretion.

Backed by other federal agencies and some state law enforcement, ICE’s crackdown is the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history — but critics warn it’s a reckless march that’s tearing communities apart.

Source: CBS News: ICE arrests under Trump top 100,000 as officials expand aggressive efforts

Baby Goebbles is jumping for joy today. Especially after he lost his wife to Musk.

Trump’s Military Parade: Tanks, Trucks, and $45 Million Worth of Road Rage Rolling Into DC

Washington, DC, is about to feel the literal weight of Trump’s long-awaited military parade — with nearly seven million pounds of tanks and artillery rolling down its streets.

Set for June 14, the spectacle will showcase thousands of soldiers and dozens of massive vehicles, celebrating the Army’s 250th anniversary but sparking serious concerns about road damage and a hefty price tag that could hit $45 million.

The Army Corps of Engineers has been busy laying steel plates and reinforcing key spots to keep DC’s infrastructure from crumbling under the weight of M1-A1 Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, and artillery pieces. Officials insist the risk to underground utilities is “very low,” but worrywarts remain nervous about gas lines and electrical systems along the parade route.

This isn’t Trump’s first attempt at a military extravaganza — a bigger, costlier parade was scrapped during his first term amid backlash over a $100 million price tag and potential street damage. The scaled-down 2025 event focuses solely on the Army, trimming the budget but not the thunder.

The rolling timeline of military history will be on full display, from WWI Renault tanks and WWII Willys jeeps to modern Strykers and Abrams tanks, capped off with a flyover of over 50 helicopters and a Golden Knights parachute jump that puts Trump front and center — the only moment the former president directly participates.

Whether you see it as patriotic pageantry or costly showboating, the parade promises to make a big impression — on DC’s streets and its taxpayers’ wallets.

Source: CNN: Trump’s Military Parade Rolls Into DC

If you live in DC, I’m sorry. Your city streets are going to be messed up for months, if not years.