US President Donald Trump suggested that some savings from his federal cost-cutting effort being overseen by billionaire Elon Musk could be sent back to US taxpayers, with another portion being used to reduce the national deficit.
“There’s even under consideration a new concept where we give 20 per cent of the Doge savings to American citizens, and 20 per cent goes to paying down debt, because the numbers are incredible,” Mr Trump said, referring to his Department of Government Efficiency's effort on Wednesday in an address to an investment summit backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in Miami.
Mr Trump’s idea has been floated previously by Mr Musk, who attended the summit. Mr Musk responded this week to a post on his social media platform X suggesting that Mr Trump announce a “Doge dividend” with a $5,000 tax refund cheque sent to taxpaying households, saying he would “check with the President”.
The remarks were the latest signal that Mr Trump is working to justify his Doge effort, which has sent shock waves through Washington as Mr Musk’s moves to slash the federal government’s spending and workforce invite legal challenges and questions over the effort’s authority and powers.
Critics have argued that the slash-and-burn style of cancelled contracts and worker layoffs risks crippling critical government services while doing little to deliver long-term taxpayer savings. And Mr Trump and Mr Musk have repeatedly overstated the amount of realised taxpayer savings, casting doubt on whether ambitious goals to significantly slash spending could be met.
While the White House has claimed some $55 billion in savings so far, itemised documents posted by the department suggest the actual savings are only a fraction of that amount. Sending 20 per cent of the roughly $8.6 billion of Doge savings the department has so far listed on its website would amount to about $11 per taxpayer.
Still, about 75,000 federal workers took an offer for a buyout offer, Mr Trump said, arguing it would provide long-term savings to the government. And Mr Trump and Mr Musk have argued that the biting cuts are necessary given the nation’s debt.
The US recorded an annual deficit of $1.8 trillion in the last fiscal year, and deficits are on track to rise over the next decade, adding further to government red ink. The US would need to eliminate those budget shortfalls before even beginning to make a dent in its $29 trillion debt load.
Mr Trump’s address to the Future Investment Initiative Institute summit drew members of the business elite, to whom he pitched a vision of a nation revitalised by his economic policies. Attendees at the conference included Robert Smith of Vista Equity Partners, Josh Harris of 26North Partners, WeWork founder Adam Neumann and Middle East envoy and real estate investor Steve Witkoff.
“The United States is back and open for business,” Mr Trump said. “The economic engines have come roaring back to life in just a very short period of time.”
Mr Trump also warned those who operated foreign companies about coming tariffs, and said that he would “probably” impose levies on lumber in addition to his previously announced plans to hit semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. Mr Trump later told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was thinking about a 25 per cent tariff on lumber and that the import levy could come around April 2.
Earlier in the week, Mr Trump suggested he was considering a 25 per cent tariff on key industries that would be added on top of his previously announced reciprocal tariff regime, which is pegged to existing tariffs and non-tariff barriers that other countries impose on US exports.
“If they don’t make their product in America, then they, very simply, they have to pay a tariff,” the President said.
His return to the White House has seen Wall Street and corporate leaders flock to win his favour with pledges of sizeable US investments. Many of those projects have been announced at the White House or at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, providing those executives a photo opportunity with the president.
Many companies “want to come to the White House and have a little news conference”, Mr Trump said, adding “$10 billion or more, and I’m there”.
Mr Trump also highlighted his administration’s focus on boosting the artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency sectors, saying he was “committed to making America the crypto capital”.
Others attending the summit included Citadel chief executive Ken Griffin, former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt, Uber Technologies co-founder Travis Kalanick and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Seven Skies, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qais Aboud
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Almahroosa, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Sumoud, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Adventurous, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Tesalam Aleik
Abdullah Al Ruwaished
(Rotana)
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
Price, base: Dh853,226
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm
Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Mobile phone packages comparison
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
