Today we're going to talk about Elon's fatal mistake with Doge, and I have three interviews.

I speak with Congressman Jamie Raskin about his own feud with Elon and Trump's broader

overreach, Senator Brian Schatz joins to discuss his plan to stall Trump's progress, and I interview

Senator Chris Murphy about Trump's effort to distract us with his flooding the zone strategy.

I'm Brian Taylor Cohen, and you're listening to No Lie.

So the talking point being trotted out about Elon is that if you support getting rid of waste, fraud, and abuse, then you would support him and Doge's mission.

And it makes sense on its face, right?

In fact, that's a mission that I personally agree with.

But here's why what

Elon is doing actually undermines his own stated mission. Think about where he started,

agencies like USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. So let's start with USAID, probably

helpful to begin with this point. The USAID Inspector General was investigating how Musk's SpaceX Starlink

satellite terminals, which were purchased with agency funds, were used in Ukraine's war with Russia.

So Elon was under investigation by the very agency that he immediately moved to dismantle.

Already reads as a pretty massive conflict of interest. But let's get into the practical implications of his move to dismantle. Already reads as a pretty massive conflict of interest. But let's get into the

practical implications of his move to dismantle USAID. USAID costs about half of one percent of the federal

budget. It offers essential life-saving programs around the world like clean water and HIV prevention,

but it's not just that. Just as importantly, from a geopolitical perspective, it is a tool for American soft power.

When you hand out food or medicine with an American flag on the container, you buy goodwill around the world.

That's goodwill that you can cash in on during conflicts, that you can cash on for favorable trade terms, that you can cash in on for military or intelligence purposes, that you can cash in on during conflicts, that you can cash on for favorable trade terms, that you can

cash in on for military or intelligence purposes, that you can cash in on to build up alliances.

So it's a win-win.

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