TOP STORY

Someone should go to jail for this

On Friday, the New York Times dropped a bombshell: while Elon Musk held enormous power in government, he was allegedly high—constantly—on a cocktail of illegal and dangerous drugs.

Now, we all kind of knew that was happening—but the extent to which it was happening was previously unreported.

• According to the Times, Musk’s use “went well beyond occasional,” and included ketamine (a horse tranquilizer), Ecstasy, Adderall (which is chemically similar to meth), and psychedelic mushrooms.

That’s right—while Musk was slashing through the federal government with a chainsaw, he may have been completely high out of his mind.

BUT BUT BUT: As reckless as that sounds—for our country, our institutions, and even Musk’s own family—what’s buried deeper in the Times story is far more serious.

• NYT reports that Musk received advance warning of upcoming drug tests—tests required by law for federal contractors.

If true, that’s not just unethical. It’s a federal crime. And there should be congressional hearings about it. There were hearings over Hunter Biden—and he had no power over, well, anything at all.

SOME BACKGROUND: Under the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, federal contractors must enforce strict drug-free policies and take immediate action against violations.

• Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, has secured more than $22 billion in federal contracts. That makes them—and him—subject to those rules.

If Musk or anyone else at SpaceX tipped him off about surprise drug tests, that could constitute fraud, obstruction of justice, or false certification to the federal government.

THE TRUTH: Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, it should be deeply disturbing that someone allegedly struggling with serious drug use was allowed to shape government policy—and potentially skirt the law to do so.

• Congress must demand a full investigation: Who knew? Who helped him? And who looked the other way while Elon Musk broke federal law to keep the money (and the drugs) flowing?

The public deserves to know the truth—and those who broke the law should go to jail.

GO DEEPER: Read the New York Times’ full report.

🗞️ Making News

Eight injured in Colorado after man allegedly targets rally for Israeli hostages

Police say a 45-year-old man used a makeshift Molotov cocktail to attack a small, regularly-held gathering calling for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. He allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack. Federal officials were quick to label the incident terrorism while local investigators said they needed more details. Full story from the Guardian.

Republican senator doubles down on disgusting defense of Medicaid cuts

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) went viral in the worst way possible last week for defending Trump’s proposed Medicaid cuts by saying, “we all are going to die.” Rather than apologize for such insensitive remarks, Ernst decided the best response was a sarcastic video from a cemetery about accepting Jesus. To be fair, Ernst is just telling the truth—she and her billionaire backers don’t give a sh*t about us. Full story from NPR.

Trump steel tariffs are going to make groceries more expensive

On Friday, Trump announced a staggering 50% tax on imported steel that could show up in the most unlikely of places: the grocery aisle. Many consumer products from soda to cleaning supplies come in aluminum or other metals affected by Trump’s new tariff, and such a high levy will almost certainly get passed on to consumers. We just hope Trump pulls a TACO just like he always does. Full story from the AP.

Kristi Noem caught in a lie about migrant trying to kill Trump

Conservative media jumped all over a story last week that claimed a Mexican man in the U.S. illegally had a plan to assassinate Trump. But when legit news outlets looked into it—guess what—it was a lie. Full story from the AP.

IN DEPTH

Proof we’re spending too much money on police

In case you needed concrete proof that we’re spending way too much money on policing in America, look no further than who just topped the list of highest-paid CEOs in the country.

THE DETAILS: Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal released its annual list of the highest paid CEOs in the country.

• At the top of the list was Rick Smith, the CEO and founder of Axon Enterprises, whose total pay package for 2024 was $164 million.

Smith—who is controversial to say the least—made more money than Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, or JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon.

WHAT IS AXON? Axon is the company behind the Taser, the alleged “non-lethal” weapon that nearly every police officer in the country carries (that’s actually very lethal).

But that’s just the beginning.

• Axon also sells body cameras, license plate readers, drones, surveillance systems, and AI-powered data platforms designed to manage everything from arrests to court proceedings.

Think of them not as the Taser company, but as the Apple of American policing.

And business is booming. Axon expects to bring in nearly $3 billion in revenue this year—the vast majority of it from public funds.

ZOOM OUT: America spends roughly $274 billion every year on policing—about a third of what we spend on K-12 education.

• That money doesn’t just pay salaries. It flows into private corporations like Axon, who profit enormously off of a system designed to criminalize poverty and over-police already marginalized communities.

Let’s be real: If the goal of all this spending was to make us safer, we’d be the safest country in the world. We’re not.

THE POINT: Study after study has shown that the biggest predictor of violent crime is poverty—not a lack of police.

• What if, instead of pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into equipping cops with military-grade gear, we invested that money in housing, education, mental health services, and job programs that lift people out of poverty?

What if we stopped treating symptoms with Tasers and started addressing root causes?

The truth is, Rick Smith’s $164 million paycheck isn’t just obscene—it’s a receipt. A receipt for a system that values punishment over prevention, and profit over people.

GO DEEPER: A couple of weeks ago, John Oliver tore into Smith, Axon, and the bullshit claim that Taser is “non-lethal.” It’s well worth your time.

➡️ Question of the Day

Last week, we asked what’s your main source for news? Looks like you guys love independent media—like us, NOTICE News!

The most mentioned news outlets were MSNBC, The Guardian, and Heather Cox Richardson’s excellent Substack Letters from an American (which we can’t recommend enough).

And thank you for adding us to your news diet! We hope we’re offering a unique angle and take on the news.

TODAY’S QUESTION: Today we want to know, do you support Medicare for All? Tell us why or why not after you vote!

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👀 Kept Out of Your Feed

Here are some stories the algorithms may be keeping out of your feed.

• Concern is growing over a just-discovered paragraph buried deep in that “big, beautiful bill”

• Elon Musk has a strange excuse for his massive black eye

• How a “DOGE” takeover led to rats and roaches

• Tim Walz knows how we should handle Trump

• John Oliver dives into America’s air traffic control mess

• Here’s what you need to know about Artificial Intelligence

• Trump’s former lawyer rips Karoline Leavitt with a new nickname

• How the little-known ‘dark roof’ lobby may be making US cities hotter

• One writer crisscrossed America to talk to people whose views he disagreed with. He now has one certainty

• Trump shares unhinged conspiracy theory about Joe Biden

• Maybe we need a new word for “inequality”