Elon Musk condemned US President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" bill on Tuesday, calling it a "disgusting abomination", days after he left the administration.
The world's richest person described the tax and policy bill as a "pork-filled" endeavour that will add hundreds of billions to the deficit.
"Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it," he wrote in a post on his social media platform X. "It will massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit to $2.5 trillion and burden American citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt."
The bill, which is heading to the Senate after passing the House of Representatives, includes tax cuts – particularly for the wealthiest Americans – the elimination of taxes on tips and overtime, and the expansion of the Child Tax Credit. But it also includes major cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme benefits, which provide assistance to millions.
Mr Musk officially took his leave of the Trump administration last week after advising the President for several months on cutting government waste.
Through the Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge, Mr Musk slashed tens of thousands of federal jobs. He also effectively closed down the US Agency for International Development amid a wider government foreign assistance freeze, saying it was "beyond repair".
During Mr Musk's final media conference in the Oval Office, Mr Trump said his adviser will be "going to be back and forth".
“I have a feeling it's [Doge] his baby, and I think he's going to be doing a lot of things, but Elon's service to America has been without comparison in modern history," he said.
Mr Musk said his team slashed $160 million in spending, although he had promised $2 trillion in savings when he began his tenure as a "special government employee".
“I'm confident that over time, we'll see $1 trillion of savings and reduction in a trillion dollars' of waste,” he added.
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- Con Coughlin: Choice of the British people will be vindicated
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
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The national orchestra
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- Alistair Burt: Despite Brexit, Britain can remain a world power
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Tomorrow 2021
Our commentary on Brexit
- Alistair Burt: Despite Brexit, Britain can remain a world power
- Sam Williams: Departure is influenced by its sense of place
On Women's Day
Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?
Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality
The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?
Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
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The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
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Rating: 5/5
School uniforms report
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
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Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
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Tomorrow 2021
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.