WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Elon Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee” came to an end May 30.
The same week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” report was found to include false citations and errors, prompting concern it was generated with AI. Meanwhile, former President Joe Biden made his first public remarks since the announcement of his stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis.
— Elon Musk ends tenure at DOGE
Musk, Tesla CEO, known to be the world’s richest billionaire, ended his tenure as part of his Department of Government Efficiency, an unofficial task force with the stated intent of curbing federal spending.
Federal law restricts the tenure of a “special government employee” to working 130 days in a 365-day period.
In comments May 30 in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said Musk brought about “a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington.”
DOGE played a role in the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal government’s spending and staff. On its website, it claims to have cut $175 billion in government spending, although some analysts say that number is likely considerably smaller.
Musk said DOGE will “continue to be doing an incredible job.”
In his Oval Office appearance, Musk had a visible bruise near his right eye that he attributed to “horsing around” with his young son, X.
A few days prior to the press conference, Musk told CBS News that while he agrees “with much of what the administration does,” he also had “differences of opinion” at times.
“But it’s difficult for me to bring that up in an interview because then it creates a bone of contention,” he said. “I’m a little stuck in a bind, where I’m like, well, I don’t wanna, you know, speak up against the administration, but I … also don’t wanna take responsibility for everything the administration’s doing. So I’m, like, kinda stuck, you know?”
Musk also expressed displeasure with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, legislation passed by House Republicans earlier in May that would enact key provisions of Trump’s agenda.
“I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful,” Musk said, “but I don’t know if it can be both. My personal opinion.”
During Musk’s time at DOGE, that group effectively disbanded the now-shuttered U.S. Agency for International Development, which included cuts to partnerships with Catholic Relief Services and other faith-based entities around the globe that have partnered with USAID in their work abroad.
— Supreme Court allows Trump to end deportation protections for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela
The U.S. Supreme Court May 30 allowed the Trump administration to end deportation protections for more than 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, while an appeal of the president’s order is still pending.
— Biden makes first public remarks since disclosure of cancer diagnosis
Biden made his first public remarks since his office disclosed May 18 he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
The May 30 event marking Memorial Day at Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle, Delaware, coincided with the 10th anniversary of his son Beau Biden’s death from brain cancer.
Biden did not address his own health in his comments, but did speak about mourning his son. He told attendees that “being with all of you, quite frankly, it makes things a little bit easier. It really does. So thank you for allowing me to grieve with you.”
Biden lamented the political climate has “become so divided and so bitter,” pointing to military men and women as examples of the American ideal.
“Our troops don’t wear a uniform that says, ‘I’m a Democrat’ or ‘I’m a Republican’ — it says ‘I’m an American, I’m an American, that’s who I am,'” he said.
He called for the U.S. to “renew our pledge to honor our heroes.”
Biden’s health has been the subject of controversy, particularly after the May 20 publication of a book titled “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” — by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios correspondent Alex Thompson — alleged that Biden’s mental and physical health declined while in office, which was hidden by aides.
Earlier on May 30, Biden and former first lady Jill Biden were photographed at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, where they reportedly attended a memorial Mass for Beau.
In his final days in office, OSV News examined how Catholicism is an integral albeit complex part of Biden’s legacy, both in his overt public observance of the faith and in areas where his public policy sometimes diverged from church teaching.
— CRS renews call for Gaza aid
Catholic Relief Services issued a statement May 26 calling for an end to conflict in Gaza, “the return of the hostages and full facilitation of accountable humanitarian response throughout the Gaza Strip.”
The statement came as a U.S.- and Israeli-backed process for distributing aid in the Gaza Strip faced growing criticism, including from the United Nations, after a tumultuous start.
“CRS’ priority is the well-being of innocent civilians in Gaza, especially the vulnerable who continue to suffer most,” the statement said. “Our teams on the ground are ready to deliver humanitarian assistance through appropriate modalities to civilians in need throughout the Gaza Strip. We advocate for unimpeded humanitarian access and the entry of humanitarian supplies at scale. CRS is committed to our operational independence, to neutrality and impartiality and to the safety and dignity of those we serve.”
On May 27, hundreds of Palestinians stormed a United Nations food warehouse in Gaza, The Associated Press reported, in what that outlet called “a desperate attempt to get something to eat.” On May 26, Israeli military fired what it called warning shots at a crowd attempting to gain access to a new aid-distribution site, resulting in one death and dozens of injuries, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
CRS said in its statement that Pope Leo XIV, “following on Pope Francis, urges us all to engage in dialogue to solve problems and advance the common good.”
“We stand ready to discuss appropriate additional measures to ensure aid accountability. In the meantime, the innocent people in Gaza cannot wait. Food and other supplies must be allowed in immediately through existing mechanisms,” the statement said. “In the spirit of dialogue, we have sought to learn more about proposed approaches connected to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). We have had many fundamental and practical questions about their proposal which remain unaddressed. We have not agreed to work or collaborate with GHF.”
— ‘MAHA’ report includes fake sources
A report released earlier in May by the Presidential Commission to Make America Healthy Again was found to contain citations for nonexistent medical studies and other errors, NOTUS, an online news outlet, reported May 29.
Epidemiologist Katherine Keyes, listed as the author of one of those reports, told NOTUS that while she has done research in a similar vein to what it described, the study attributed to her in the report does not exist.
“The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with,” Keyes told NOTUS. “We’ve certainly done research on this topic, but did not publish a paper in JAMA Pediatrics on this topic with that co-author group, or with that title.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the errors as “formatting issues” in a press briefing on May 29, telling reporters they are “being addressed, and the report will be updated.”
“But it does not negate the substance of the report, which, as you know, is one of the most transformative health reports that has ever been released by the federal government,” Leavitt said.
The widely discussed report prompted speculation the report was generated with artificial intelligence. Leavitt declined a question about those concerns.
The Trump administration updated the report May 30, which purportedly seeks to identify the causes of chronic disease.
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
